Broken Memories
by ajayeclipsed
Summary: This is a new beginning for Chelsea; an attempt to run away from her past. New Island, new name, new person. Everything else should belong in the past now as long forgotten memories. Can those closest to her help overcome her fear before it creeps up and destroys her.
1. New Start

**Authors note: Hey guys, this is my first fan fiction so reviews and criticism are definitely welcome. uhm, i worked pretty hard on coming up with this chapter and i think im proud of it so far. Its pretty short, but i had no idea how long these should be, so ive given it my best shot. **

**Disclaimer: i do not own Harvest moon. **

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I stood on the dock, ready to leave it all behind. One last thing...

"Ticket please miss" I flashed the man my ticket and quickly hopped on board, stumbling to the room I'm supposed to be staying in. 'Hmm... a name. A new name. How about Chelsea? Yeah I like that, Chelsea... Chelsea Clarke; easy enough to remember' i thought to myself. Oblivious to everything else.

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The ship rocked furiously despite the weather being surprisingly calm out. With every crash from the waves I began to feel worse and worse. 'Eurgh I feel so sick. This better end soon or the outcome isn't going to be pretty' I thought to myself. I felt myself shaking crazily from anxiety. I honest can't believe I had convinced myself to travel wherever on a boat… A boat of all things… stupid mistake that was. I'm terrified of boats, and now I'm struggling with the consequences. "Eurgh" I groaned as the boat crashed against more waves. I fell to the floor, hitting my head hard as I did so, and slipped into a dark black world.

_*"Hey Claire, over here. Dad said he'd take us out on the boat for a day" Mark shouted excitedly. "Okay coming" I squeaked. I loved boat trips with dad – I know he's not my real dad but he's the only dad I've ever know so I don't mind. We all clambered aboard and waved goodbye to mum as we sped towards our favourite destination- a tiny island full of big, green, lush trees. Mark and I gazed into the ocean trying to see little fish swimming about. But me being me, I became too enthusiastic about it all and fell in… I can't swim. I coughed and spluttered as the ocean pulled me deeper and deeper, ignoring my struggle. I desperately fought for air whilst calling for help, pleading. Then the darkness consumed me. A blur of light and muffled voices surrounded me as I lay on my back, confused. 'Well I guess I didn't die then'I thought, as a wave of sudden exhaustion hit me.*_

I rose from the floor covered in sweat; damn I hated flashbacks, especially that one. It was a cruel reminder of everything. Waves of emotion flooded through me as I slowly recovered from the dream. ' Eurgh i need to remember Claire isn't part of me anymore. She's someone else.'

The boat reached my destination quicker than anticipated. Not that I minded at all. Better put on a brave face and look around. Sometimes I don't do well around people, I just… struggle a little, that's all. I shouted a quick thanks to the captain as I shakily hopped onto the dock. "Ahh land, you have no idea how glad I am to see you right now" I sighed happily, unaware of the family stood in front of me.

"Oh, er, excuse me miss" a bald headed guy said "you aren't by any chance the new farmer are you?"

"Uhm, oh, yeah, that's me. I'm uh clai, wait... Chelsea" I beamed.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Taro, and this here is my daughter Felicia, and my two grand-children, Natalie and Elliot. Don't let their arguing put you off." He chuckled to himself.

I stared fascinated at Felicia's candy floss pink hair; a trait which both children had inherited alongside her chocolate brown eyes. I froze for too long, and was quickly interrupted by Natalie bossily asking if I was following them to my new farm, before turning her back on me completely. Elliot gave a shy but almost sympathetic smile before following in their direction.

I followed Taro until we reached a very quaint little house. "Well, little missy this here is the ranch and, uh, that's it. If you get some free time you should visit Mirabelle's animal shop. You're more than welcome to come by if you need any help. I should probably leave you to get settled now, bye." Taro flashed a smile at me before leaving.

I looked at the land behind the house. Oh boy, I was definitely going to be out working all week to clear this up. I guess it's just part of the job though.

* * *

Huh, times gone so quickly. I can't believe it's already 4. I should unpack before I forget. I picked up the light rucksack and carefully emptied my things on the floor. I had taken so little with me. Only my wallet, a couple of shirts - they happen to be the same shirts as what I'm already wearing. I guess I don't like change much. And some denim shorts. My beloved red boots and bandanna luckily made it with me; I never left the house without them. I smiled to myself as I picked up the last item – a treasured photo of me and my, uh brother? Mark. I call him brother but he's not. I was adopted. I placed the photo on a bedside cabinet so I'd always see him when I woke up. After packing away my few things, I looked around the house, smiling to myself. It was what I could call home and I was grateful for that.

I excitedly thought about tomorrow, my first day working on my own farm. It's kind of funny how things can turn your way unexpectedly. Now to introduce myself to the people Taro was talking about. I hope they're easy to talk to. I sighed again for what seemed like the umpteenth time today, before entering the little shop.

As soon as I walked in my nerves vanished, the woman behind the counter beamed at me, she couldn't be more welcoming even if she tried. She looked like she was approaching her mid 40's with a slight worn down face. Before the silence got the better of me I spoke "Hi, I'm Chelsea, the new rancher." The words flowed out of my mouth almost too well for my liking. I added a polite smile afterwards, trying to seem friendly. "Oh Taro spoke to me about you already dear. Well I'm Mirabelle and this is my daughter Julia." I followed Mirabelle's gaze over to the edge of the counter where Julia stood smiling. Her honey blonde hair cascaded well past her shoulders despite being tied up. The natural curls soft and delicate. Her ice blue eyes reminded me of the sky when it was particularly frosty, which brought a slight smile to my face. She relaxed upon seeing me smile. I don't know why but perhaps she and I will become good friends in the future.

**Authors note: I hope it was okay to read D: ahh, thankyou for reading! Sorry if it's confusing to start with. In the flashback, I used a different name for Chelsea 'Claire Clarke' to represent her running away and well, yeah. **


	2. A new season

**Authors note: okay so Thank you to Karisma Jestler for reviewing. In case it isn't clear, I've made it so most key characters were on the island beforehand – so I don't have to do tedious meet and greet scenes. Disclaimer: ****I don't own harvest moon.**

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A whole season has disappeared since being here. To my surprise my crops, only potatoes and turnips, have done better than I hoped. It looks like I might be able to be the farmer I'd hoped to be. With the left over money from foraging and the crops, I can finally afford that barn I've been waiting for.

I took a casual stroll down to Gannon's house. "Hey there Chelsea, you sure are looking pretty today. What can I do for ya?"

"Well, I've finally got the money all saved up for a barn." I grinned, whilst handing over the appropriate change. "Awright then, it'll be finished in the morning."

"Ok, thanks Gannon, bye now" I quickly waved whilst leaving the shop, only to walk straight into Charlie.

"Ow ow ow, Lady that hurt." Charlie cried, picking himself up from the floor. "Anyway, dad told me to come get you. The stuff you wanted has arrived!"

Charlie dragged me to the small corner shop. I quickly gave Chen the change owed, picked up the product and left.

'Hmm, where will Lana be?' I thought. I carried on until I reached the beach where the sand looked particularly soft and yellow against the heat of the sun. "Oh, hey, Lana, I need to borrow you for something." I shouted, hoping she would say yes.

"Oh, really, what do you want?" she questioned, puzzled. I chucked her the hair dye I'd purchased earlier. "I need you to help re-dye my hair. My roots look terrible underneath the bandana."

"I didn't know you dyed your hair? Hmm, you can be so secretive at times Chels."

'If only she knew' I chuckled to myself.

We both hurried up to the little farm house. Once inside I removed the bandana, revealing some major roots, needing desperate attention. "You weren't lying when you said they needed redoing." Lana said, rolling her eyes at me. "What colour was your hair before? I can't imagine you not being a brunette."

"Blonde, but I prefer it Chestnut brown. It looks nicer, and suits me more anyway."

"How long have you been dying it then?" Lana questioned

"Hmm, not long, this is the second time dying it, which is why I asked you for help" I answered.

I was right to ask Lana, she sure knew what she was doing. She had pounced on me and smothered my hair in it before I even had the chance to go get a towel. It was a pleasant surprise to see the hair dye only in my hair. When I attempted to dye my hair the first time, it went everywhere. My hands, part of my face and the bathroom got covered. I thanked Lana way too enthusiastically when she left; I doubt she minded much though.

Lana was so strange. She claimed to be a famous pop star, but bored of the fame. That's how she ended up here. I'm glad she came here though because she's one of the closest friends I've ever had, despite her annoying giggle all the time.

I sighed to myself. It was the first day of summer and I hadn't planted any crops. Back at home, the first day was always the busiest with the ground being hoed, watered and sprinkled with seeds. I hadn't done any of that; in fact the most I'd accomplished today was ordering a barn. At least I'd purchased seeds though. Wait…

I ran to the tool box, totally frustrated upon realising that I had forgotten to purchase seeds earlier. Crap… its Friday tomorrow and the store won't be open. It's almost 6 too. Eurgh great… I ran to the shop as fast as I could possibly go, my legs spasming out at my attempt to go faster. Luckily for me I'd arrived just before closing time.

Completely out of breath I huffed my order to Chen "I'd … like… to… buy… some seeds… please"

"Sure. We only have Tomato and Corn seeds in stock at the moment." Chen replied; apparently amused at my breathlessness state.

After purchasing two bags of both seeds, I now felt prepared for tomorrow. I stepped out into the humid conditions and quickly made my way to Julia's.

"Hey Mirabelle, do you know where Jules is? I was kinda hoping she'd come to the diner with me."

Mirabelle gave a quiet smirk before replying; "I believe she's already there, she left about 10 minutes ago. if you're quick enough you'll catch her. Oh, sweetie, what's this I heard about you getting your own barn?"

"Oh, I saved enough money to build one, finally. It feels like it's taken forever" I sighed contently.

"Well, you can expect a free cow from me dear; as soon as the animal transporter arrives anyway. Now you better be on your way." She waved me off before I sped off towards east town's diner.

As soon as I entered the diner I felt slightly uncomfortable. I came over here to see Julia but she was on a… date? With Elliot. The girl was obsessed with him, every other sentence magically turned towards Elliot and how he blushed when saying hello or how he stutters around Julia. I was quickly pulled over to another table by Nat and Lana. They were in hysterics.

"Nat, your brother is useless, he's been staring at her for 5 minutes straight without making a move." Lana said in between bubbles of laughter.

"This is just too much. Oh my goddess. They haven't even noticed us despite all the laughter." I said, really loudly hoping that they would glance in our direction and finally notice us. They didn't though. "Nat, doesn't it bother you just how interested Elliot is in one of your friends?" I asked, expecting an angry reply.

"Uh, nah, I think it's cute, y'know. Something else I can wind him up about" She winked secretly before bursting into laughter again. I checked the time surprised to see that it was so late. "Bye guys, I have a busy day tomorrow, so I better get going. Enjoy watching the lovebirds."

Just before I left I thought heard Julia say "Oh, was that Chelsea leaving?" Gosh that girl could be hopeless sometimes. I didn't bother turning round, I carried on into the cool night, dreading the hard work tomorrow would bring.

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**I dislike this chapter so much! But hey, it's just showing some background information. I hope the next will be better. There's so much dialogue too, so sorry if it's not the best. My next update should be pretty quick considering its half term, although I'm supposed to be revising.** **Hey writing is revision for English though, right?**


	3. A hard day at work

**Authors note: Thanks so much to those who are following and have favourited my story. I appreciate it so much! It makes me feel really happy knowing people like what I've written. It's really encouraging, so thanks guys! On another note, I hope the storyline has been easy to follow. It's a little different to the other stories I hope. I tried to make this one a little longer than the others. Anyway, I'll stop babbling and let you read on…**

**Oh... i don't own Harvest Moon.**

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The knock on the door startled me out of bed. "One second" I shouted before rushing to the mirror. I groaned. I looked such a mess. My hair looked like id been dragged through a bush backwards and my eyes were puffy and red. To make it worse, I was in a pair of pyjamas that didn't fit properly. I really hoped it wasn't someone new. The knocking on the door was more persistent than before. Why do people have to be so in-patience.

I yanked the door open and was surprised to see a complete stranger next to Gannon. Gannon's eyes widened slightly at the state of me. "Hey there Chelsea, the barn you asked for is all finished. Pretty fine work, if I do say so myself; anyway if you need anythin else you know where I am. Oh, I brought the new guy with me. See ya later." Gannon left, muttering to himself about Eliza as he carried on.

The new guy introduced himself to me as Denny, a fisherman. I looked him up and down quickly, smiling when noticing his purple bandana. He wore a sharks tooth round his neck, obviously a previous catch for him to be proud of it. His little bird Kuu perched on his shoulder happily. "Well, it's lovely meeting you Denny. I'm sorry I look so awful. I promise I don't normally look so bad."

He chuckled to himself. "You don't need to apologise for anything. It looks like I interrupted some beauty sleep. I'll be fishing at the beach if you need me. Come see me later yeah?" and with that he disappeared. 'He was really cute, but maybe not my type. Still, I should get to know him better' I thought to myself.

I ran round the house like a maniac collecting all the necessary tools needed for the day ahead. Hoe, watering can and seeds. I think that's everything. I should start the day before the heat becomes too much, that's what we always did at home… I don't miss them as much as I thought I would. That hole in my heart just keeps getting bigger though.

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The ground is tough and dry from the sun already. Hoeing could be hard. After 2 hours passed four 3x3 plots were finally ready. I carefully sprinkled seeds onto each plot and covered them over gently with the excess soil. Watering is always my favourite part of the job. I ran to the river, filled up the can and drenched the little seeds with water in the hope that the sun won't dry the seeds out and stop them from growing. I hate summer. The exhaustion left behind from working too much in the sun, or becoming dehydrated because work becomes more important than eating and drinking. Having to water your plants twice a day because the heat leaves the plants dry; often killing them. I sighed, I should probably go foraging because I won't be making much money this season. I looked down at myself dripping with sweat. It's about time for a cold shower then…

"Hiya Nat, how are ya today?"

"Oh, I'm coping, just. Summer is waay too hot. How do you manage to do everything without passing out?"

"I have no idea." My stomach let out a loud growl, showing that I should be eating before I do pass out. I let out a soft laugh "You wanna come to the diner with me?"

We made light conversation about Elliot and Jules the whole way there. Apparently shortly after I left Julia claimed that she needed to go find me. Typical; she gets to go on a date with the guy she likes and leaves too soon. I'll have to question her on this later.

When we stepped into the diner Natalie and I both burst into hysterics. Lana was attempting to chat up the new guy, Denny, although his face had 'help me' written all over it.

"We should definitely go and sit with Lana and the new guy." Natalie said with a smirk.

"Hey Lana, hey Denny, you don't mind if we sit with you?" I asked.

"Nope, not at all" Lana said "In fact I was just leaving because I'm a very busy pop star, and I have things to do and other people to see"

Just as Lana left Denny sighed, relieved. "Thank you so much for rescuing me. Oh goddess she just talks too much about being famous. I only enjoyed talking to her when she mentioned fishing but still, she just wouldn't shut up. Huh, definitely one to avoid in the future."

Natalie rolled her eyes dramatically "Hmm, well I need to go find Julia and lecture her about last night. Bye guys. Nice meeting you Denny."

"Wait, I'll be right back, I really need to go order something from Nick." As if on que my stomach rumbled. I ordered my usual, buckwheat noodles – the one food on the menu providing the most stamina. I don't even like the taste of it; it just fills me up and gives me energy. I sat back down opposite Denny; admiring his features in the silence. His gorgeous brown eyes let the light dance off making them glimmer slightly. The curls in his light brown hair bounced every time he shook his head slightly. I glanced down at his lips and realised he was speaking to me. I had completely shut everything else out whilst studying him.

"Chelsea, are you alright?"

'Denny must have been repeating himself for a while. Oh goddess, now I look like a total idiot.' I thought.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry, I was thinking about work and what needed to be done on the farm later."

"It's fine, I was just saying how much better you looked than when I met you this morning."

I winced slightly at the thought, cringing over the fact that he had seen me look a total wreck.

"No, but seriously Chelsea you look so pretty; especially with the bandana" he grinned.

I felt myself blush slightly. Ha, no one ever calls me pretty. It felt nice to be complimented.

"I better go, sorry for leaving you whilst you're eating. I'll see you later okay? We should definitely go fishing together." Denny said hurriedly

"How'd you know I fished?" I asked

"Lana spoke a lot about you and how you and her have been fishing together a couple of times, anyway bye." He grinned before waving.

"Bye." I waved back, watching him leave.

Well he seems nice enough. Maybe I'll take him up on the fishing offer soon.

I spent ages foraging, it was nice to know that the stuff does actually make a small profit.

"Hey Mirabelle, hey Jules" I called as I stepped into the animal shop. Both appeared looking as happy as always. Julia grabbed my arm and pulled me into her room.

"oh my goddess." She squeaked "Me and Elliot really went on an actual date last night"

"Took you long enough; you've liked him since before I moved here. I'm glad you're happy with him Jules"

"He's just so perfect. He's adorable and cute with his pink hair matching the colour of his cheeks every time he blushes."

I rolled my eyes, great so this is what we're all going to hear from now on.

"Hey, Jules have you met the new guy yet?"

"Oh, Denny, yeah, he stopped by the shop earlier asking if there was anything he could use as bait. Why'd you ask?"

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. I really hope Julia didn't notice that. "You should have seen him earlier. Lana was with him in the diner, he looked so lost, so me and Nat went and rescued him. He's really nice once you get talking with him." I replied, silently laughing to myself over Denny's expressions earlier.

"Oh, speaking of new people." Mirabelle interrupted "As tomorrow's Wednesday, the animal transporter, Vaughn will be here. Please promise me that you both will be friendly towards him. He's, well… not shy, but quiet and a little frosty to those who don't know him. I'd appreciate it if you'd try and make him feel welcomed even if he does only keep to himself." Mirabelle said assertively.

"Sure Mirabelle, it's always a pleasure having new people on the island."

"Mum, is this the guy who's staying in the back room? The grumpy cowboy?"

"Yeah, you guessed it sweetie. Well he'll be here tomorrow anyway. I'll make sure he comes and introduces himself to you Chelsea."

"Well I better go guys, my plants need watering again. Bye!" I waved quickly and ran to the farm.

I was completely lost in thought whilst watering. A grumpy cowboy? Great. I don't really like people who aren't easy to talk with, except Natalie. Tomorrow could be interesting… I took a quick shower for the second time today, pulled my pyjamas on and made some hot milk. Before getting into bed I picked up the photo of me and Mark.

"Oh Mark… I miss you. I miss you way too much." I placed the photo back on the stand whilst letting my tears trickle freely down my face. I climbed into bed more than eager for the darkness to consume me.

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**Authors note: Two updates in one day yay! If anyone has suggestions as to who Chelsea will end up with or anything for the storyline; go ahead and message me them. It's so frustrating because I have so much planned for later chapters, just not so much for the beginning ones. I'm excited about sharing the later ones that feature Mark. I hope this was okay to read. Thanks for reading guys! Oh, if you can, please review? :3 it gives me a little bit of inspiration and it would be nice to know what you guys think of the story and stuff. **


	4. The damn cowboy

**Authors note: Hi guys, I think I'm finally happy with the way this is going. Sorry if it's a little slow at the moment, it'll get better. We get to meet the jerk of a cowboy in this chapter, yay. Sorry, this one is really short but I'll try to update again today to make up for it.**

**I don't own harvest moon.**

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*_He was lying in the hospital bed; totally unconscious, tubes all wired up to him, helping him breathe, monitoring him. With the relaxed expression on his face he looked almost dead. Luckily for us – me, he survived though, with only a few deep wounds, which would turn into pink scars, representing the accident. It was such a shock to see his bleach blonde hair without his hat, looking almost tidy for once. He just looked so peaceful… I can feel the tears flowing heavily, flooding all my emotions, trickling down my face. This was all too much to take in. Mum and Dad have both blamed me for this; they can't stand the sight of me anymore. Who would blame them? I can feel the heat in my limbs as I push myself through the hospital. I need to get away from this, from here. I grabbed a taxi to the house, shoved my stuff in a bag and slipped away into the night.*_

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I woke up the same as when I fell asleep – crying. I reached for the picture on the bed side table and clutched it tightly towards my chest. I missed the way his emerald green eyes would stare into me intimidatingly whenever he came up with some crazy idea that I didn't want to go along with; I always said yes though. He was my favourite big brother; the only thing that kept me sane at the house. More importantly he was family and I wasn't even sure if he was dead or alive. My sobbing became uncontrollable, I felt even worse about the whole situation in which I'd left. Maybe I'll write home, not that they'll care. I shrugged a little whilst wiping some tears away from my face. Just as I'd gotten out of bed to get some tissue someone banged on the door. Maybe if I just sat there in silence they'd go away. I really wasn't in the mood to speak with people today. The door went again, this time a little louder and longer. I took one quick look at the picture before going to answer the door, knowing full well that whoever stood on the other side was going to be in shock when seeing me. I pulled open the door and stood there with my arms folded across my chest, my mouth puckered into a thin line whilst both tears and snot flowed freely down my face.

It was the bloody cowboy Mirabelle had spoken to me about yesterday. The damn cowboy of all people. His eyes widened in shock as I stood there, unimpressed about being interrupted. "I'm Vaughn" he grunted before turning and walking away. I could tell what Mirabelle meant when she said he looked like a cowboy. He had a Black Stetson, cowboy boots; rope tied round his belt, with his black gloves and a belt buckle topping off the look. What made him look even more bizarre was his amethyst eyes and silvery hair. I sighed; well that was a great first impression. Despite everything that was running through my head when I woke up, I wanted to be known as the bubbly Chelsea, not the shy and easily forgotten Claire…

I quickly got changed, washed my face, shoved on my bandana and got to work watering my crops. Once I had cared for them, I raced down to Mirabelle's. As soon as I walked in I realised it was a mistake. Mirabelle and Vaughn were standing there talking about me.

"So you did go and introduce yourself to everyone, right Vaughn? Including the farmer?"

"Yes ma'am. The farmer?" He cocked his head slightly as if recalling the event from earlier

"Yes, the farmer, Chelsea?"

"Oh, I met some farmer, she wasn't in a great state, and obviously not too happy on being introduced either; had tears and stuff all over her. Never did catch her name either" he mumbled to himself.

I rolled my eyes at him as I made my entrance. "Hi Mirabelle, hi Jules." I gave them both a smile before carrying on. "Seeing as the animal transporters arrived, I don't suppose I could purchase a cow soon?"

"Oh sure dear, I'll get Vaughn to deliver you one, free of charge as its your first, along with a week's worth of fodder." She smiled at Vaughn as if signalling to him to go fetch the required stuff.

"Oh, Chelsea, you've met Vaughn haven't you?"

"Not properly, he left before I answered the door." I glared at him, hoping they wouldn't believe the stuff he said earlier. I hate explaining myself. "Hi there Vaughn, I'm Chelsea, the farmer here." I smiled, holding out my hand.

"Vaughn" he grunted, not bothering to shake my hand, but just staring at it. I quickly dropped it and followed him into the back.

"Awh, these cows are so adorable" I squeaked

I stood there for a little bit, choosing a cow. In the end, a tiny little black and white calf came bundling over. "Hey there girl" I cooed sweetly as I gently patted her head.

Vaughn looked totally shocked by the fact that I was completely oblivious to everything else but the cows.

After choosing my calf, Magic, I thanked Mirabelle way too over enthusiastically and left with Vaughn trailing behind.

"Hey cowboy, what's your problem? You're so grumpy it's unreal." I glanced at him slightly, yep, definitely grumpy.

"Whatever." He spat at me.

"The least you could do is smile at your customers and make polite conversation." I said quietly

He just shrugged, "It's none of your business what I do."

After dropping my calf of in the barn, he couldn't get away quick enough. 'If I want to become friends with him I'm going to have a tough job' I thought whilst laying out some fodder for my calf.

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**Authors note: Thanks for reading. Wow, I don't know how people write 4,000 words each chapter, that would kill me, sorry if they're really short chapters in comparison to others.**


	5. Rain

**Authors note: oh my gosh, people are actually reading my story? Hah I know it's not that great, but I still feel proud of it. I have no idea on what to name each chapter, so if the name has little relevance to the story within, that's simply because I couldn't be bothered to think of anything else, oh… So far this is my favourite chapter, and it's the longest. Is it really boring doing it day by day? I guess you probably won't want to read day by day accounts so I'll start changing it up a little. Here's the promised second update of the day. Anyway read on…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

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I normally wake up with the sun, but not today. The clouds were pulled over; keeping the sun nestled between fluffy, pearly grey blankets. The rain pattered down, giving the island a long awaited shower. It sparkled upon catching small glimpses of the sun, creating a teeny tiny rainbow. The rain was definitely welcome. My crops haven't been doing so well with the sun lately, so this might just brighten them up a little. I smiled. I haven't seen rain like this for so long. The soft pattering of rain hitting the roof was like a relaxing melody, if I didn't have Magic to look after I'd probably just fall back asleep. I took the brush out from my tool box and took a casual stroll across the farm; admiring the falling droplets of rain tangling my hair, dripping down my skin.

"Hey there magic, you're looking good today huh?" I smiled as she greeted me with a very large moo. "How can someone so small make a noise that loud?" I asked, chuckling to myself. "I bet you're hungry, right?" I reached over to the feed box and spread out some fodder ready for the day ahead. Whilst she started feeding I took the brush out and gently brushed away the dust from her fur. She was a really pretty calf. I sighed to myself quietly. "You know Magic; you're my favourite thing about farming. Looking after the cows was always my job at home. We had this one cow Gretel" I rolled my eyes at the name. "Mark named her. Gretel grew up to be the biggest softest thing ever. Her milk was great too. We were all devastated when she passed away but she was 11 so that's a long time for a cow, isn't it? I wonder how all the cows are doing." I'd only had the calf for a day, but she was already the best thing that's happened here. I felt like I could confess anything to her and she'd listen. She carried on mooing happily whilst munching on the fodder. "I'll see you later girl." I said, patting the top of her head lightly.

Hmm, what to do… my chores are done. I could do some fishing but I don't really want to get drenched. I could visit someone? I don't really want to see Jules, she'll just go on about Elliot and Natalie's been all sulky so I don't really want to see her either. That leaves Lana and well… she's obsessed with Denny… I might as well visit Denny. He and I have been getting closer recently, we've been going fishing in between work and it's actually been really nice to have a proper conversation with someone other than the girls. Thursday was going too slow for my liking, so visiting Denny will hopefully speed up time. I grabbed the fish I'd saved in my refrigerator, shoved it into my rucksack and then ran to Denny's shack. I figured he'd like the fish I'd previously caught considering he was a fisherman right? I didn't have a use for it anyway apart from shipping it, so I guess it's nice to give people a gift every now and again.

I knocked on the wooden purple door a couple times before entering.

"Hey Denny." I smiled, crinkling up my nose as I did.

"Yo, Chelsea, what's up?" he replied, a grin spreading on his face upon seeing me.

"Oh not much, I've been busy all morning." I replied, suddenly remembering why I had come "Oh, I brought you this fish. Sorry it's not much, I just caught it earlier and well, thought of you." His cheeks flushed a deep pink as I handed it to him.

"Cheers Chels" he grinned "I've just been spear fishing and boy did I get a lot of fish! I still appreciate your gift though." He paused for a second before adding, "Chels you're soaked, let me go get you a towel."

He disappeared for a minute before coming back and handing me a purple and black striped towel.

"Thanks Den." I said, shivering as I wrapped the towel around me. "Is this all your fishing gear?" I asked; pointing to the various items spread about his floor.

"Oh, yeah! I'm glad I have all my fishing gear. I know it's not great quality but it's still safe to use, as long as I take good care of it, it'll last for a while. I take care of it like my life depends on it, especially my spear fishing gear, without that I could be shark bait."

"Shark bait? Doesn't that frighten you at all?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock.

"I've almost been shark bait before, see this necklace? That's from one of the sharks I had to spear. It reminds me of nature, if I don't get in their way, they'll hopefully stay out of mine"

"Wow Denny you're really serious about fishing aren't you. I mean I knew you loved it, but never that much." I replied.

"Hey, Chels come here. I wanna thank you for the fish." He pulled me to him quickly and wrapped his arms round me in a way too tight hug. Gosh he was really strong.

"Denny I… can't breathe." I panted. He quickly dropped his arms and flushed pink "Sorry." He replied, looking totally embarrassed and awkward about the current situation.

"Sorry Denny but I've got to go now, I'll see you soon okay?" I said un enthusiastically. I didn't really want to go back into the rain much.

"Oh, okay, bye Chels." He replied, almost disappointed. I handed him the towel before waving goodbye and running across the beach. I carried on running through the main part of the island, totally drenched again; not paying any attention to where I was going.

That was so weird with Denny; he's never normally like that. I felt so bad for leaving especially when his whole face dropped. I wonder why he's being so friendly and nice to me recently.

"Ohff."

Wait… what. I'd managed to run straight into Vaughn, knocking us both over with me ending up on top of him, limbs sprawled out. I looked at him quickly and gasped. I panicked getting up, lost my balance and ended up falling backwards. I could feel my cheeks flushing. I glanced at him briefly before looking back down. Great, that's one pissed off cowboy. I sighed; he's so different from others, so cold… difficult.

"Watch where you're going will ya? Damn klutz." He snarled at me. I was so lost in my own little world that I was surprised to see a hand held out to help me.

I gratefully took his hand "Thanks." I said, smiling, trying to appear friendly. I brushed some of the muck off from the fall, I was caked in mud. "I am so sor… sorry, it's raining and I was, I was just in my own little world and…" I trailed off, stuttering.

"Its… fine." He sighed. "You want to get going before you get sick." He walked into Mirabelle's shop and slammed the door shut behind him. Me being me followed him, my big blue eyes glassy and lost, whilst the rest of me looked like a drowned rat. I stepped into the little shop, a puddle of water forming underneath me from the water droplets falling freely.

"Oh goddess Chelsea, you'll catch a cold if you're not careful. Vaughn dear, can you fetch me a towel."

"Yes ma'am." He shot me a dangerous glare, if looks could kill, I'd be dead right now hah.

He came back and threw a bright red towel at me before disappearing into the housey part of the shop.

I quickly wrapped the towel around me and took my boots off, to prevent treading water all-round the house.

"Mirabelle is Jules here? I really need to speak to her about something."

"Oh, sure dear, I think she's in her room with Natalie." She beamed "go along now dear."

I walked through the shop into the back of the house. The house was one story, but was very roomy and homey. The kitchen shared a dining room table and connected to the living room, which branched off into the three different bedrooms and the bathroom.

I walked into the familiar sky blue surroundings. Jules was particular fond of the beach and so her bed-room walls were modelled to suit the seaside on a summer's day. Apart from the walls, her room was fairly plain, with varnished, wooden furniture. I went and sat next to Jules on her double bed. "Hey guys." I greeted them.

"Hiya Chels"

"Yo, Chels."

"Chels you're soaked, let me get you some clean pyjamas out. You can stay here with Nat for the night." Julia said assertively. Looks like I didn't have a choice in the matter. She went to her drawers, pulled out a black tight fitting vest top and a pair of baggy blue pants. I smiled appreciatively and quickly got changed, glad to be free of my soggy clothes.

"Soo, what made you rush all the way here in the rain?"

"Well, something weird happened between me and Denny. When I say weird I mean really weird." I cringed at the thought.

"Ohh… Do spill Chels." Julia replied, way too excitedly.

I told them everything about what happened with me and Denny whilst also including the scene with Vaughn.

"That'll explain why Vaughn was so pissed earlier." Julia said "He stormed in, drenched, totally ignoring my mum's questions. Ah well, Vaughn's always been hostile and, well, grumpy towards people." Julia shrugged.

"Denny probably likes you." Natalie said in between laughter.

"Well, you have been spending time with him lately, in the diner or fishing. It wouldn't surprise me." Jules joined in.

"Eurgh." I groaned. "I don't have time for boys. Besides Lana's totally got a thing for Denny, and I would never ever consider him a romantic interest." I spoke way too quickly, trying to think of something else so I could change the topic. Luckily for me, Nat could see how uncomfortable I felt and changed the subject to Jules and Elliot.

"So, Jules, would you care to tell me about the scene I missed earlier with you and Elliot?" Nat asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"I, uhm… what do you mean?" Jules stammered, turning a deep shade of red.

Nat burst into laughter, gasping for breath in between her words "C'mon, something obviously happened for my brother to be too flustered to speak after."

"Well… if you really have to know, I was really busy with work when Elliot came in the shop. He kept offering to help, stating that everyone on the island should be working together. So anyway, my mum encouraged him further until I gave in. once we'd finished. I thanked him for his help, gave him a quick hug and uh… kissed his cheek. His face when the same colour as his hair, it was so adorable!"

"Awh, you guys are so cute together Jules, I'm so happy for you both." I smiled sweetly.

"Do you think my brother will ever actually ask you to be his girlfriend, or will you have to do all the asking?" Nat asked, rolling her eyes a little.

"I don't even know." Jules whispered quickly; very red in the face.

"Mhm, guys it's getting late, can't we go to sleep now" I mumbled tiredly. Totally ignoring their responses I snuggled up into Julia's bed and fell asleep pretty quick.

It was a hassle getting up in the morning; Natalie and Julia were sprawled out, leaving me stuck in the middle. I wiggled around a little before squeezing out of the tiny gap, ignoring sleepy protests. I groaned as I stretched, happy to hear my spine popping a little. Hopefully that'll get rid of the dull ache. I scurried away to my farm, eager to see Magic; looking forward to our morning conversation.

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**Authors note: I hope it sounded as good as I thought it did when writing it. That might sound cocky… I didn't mean it to. D: I think it's better than the other ones I've written though? Anyway, Elliot and Julia are so cute, even if they're totally different. I included heart events from the game, but changed the wording and put my own stuff on them. Bye guys, see you next chapter!**


	6. Sneaking around

**Authors note: Hi guys, I felt like I had to move stuff a long a little faster; so if the story suddenly goes at a faster pace, then thats why. I think the chapter title 'sneaking around' actually sort of suits the chapter for once; rather than some of my other named chapters, ah well :3. Anyway…. Sorry for me always babbling on at the beginning and end, just trying to appear friendly y'know? Which is weird for me because I'm actually sort of similar to Vaughn- difficult around people until I get to know them better, huh, anyway ill just shut up haha.**

**Disclaimer: i don't own harvest moon.**

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**_Denny's P.o.v_**

It's been a week since Chels last visited me; she acted really weirdly when she left. I couldn't help myself though, she's just so unlike anyone else I've ever met. Her Chestnut brown hair falls gently past her shoulders, creating a golden sea of hair hiding her face when she drops her head a little. Her eyes remind me of the sea, a deep blue, on a calm day; a day where loads of fish are easily caught. Her presence just makes the room feel that much lighter, makes me happier. I reach over and scratch my neck a little, a nervous habit of mine which only occurred after meeting Chels. I really think I'm falling for her. I blushed at the thought, 'would such an innocent, young farmer be interested in someone like me though?' I pondered. 'It was the fireworks festival soon; perhaps I should ask her to that? Oh, no, what happens if she says no though.' I groaned a little 'she'd tell everyone and I'd end up being the laughing stock of the island.' I sighed. This was such hard work. I'd only known the girl for a little over two weeks, and I was already head over heels for her.

The sharp knocks on my shack quickly pulled me out of my daydream.

"Yo, come in." I shouted, due to the fact that I really couldn't be bothered to get up; that would be too much effort.

Slowly, an elegant walking woman stepped in the door, with long blonde locks covering her face. I groaned, the one person I don't like seeing, I quickly stood up and grabbed my bag. "Uh, hey Lana, I was actually just going somewhere." I shrugged, before pushing past her and leaving. Quick footsteps followed behind me which made me roll my eyes.

"Actually Denny there was something I wanted to ask." She sounded pretty desperate.

"Nope, sorry, I'm… in a real hurry." I said before taking off. I wished she would just leave me alone. I'm not interested at all; I'm pretty pre-occupied with a farmer actually. Before I knew it I'd reached Chelsea's farm. I banged on the door a couple of times, praying for a response. It sounds pretty creepy but I knew she would be in her barn from previous times of watching her work. I shook my head a little before making my way up the field to the barn. The door was open a little so I peered in through the gap, surprised to see her looking so upset. As much as I wanted to walk in and hug her I stayed put, listening for a while

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

"Hey girl, you're looking good today. I can't believe how big you're getting." I smiled. She Moo'ed a happy response before I continued, "It won't be long before you start producing milk now; times gone so quickly on this island." I sighed a little to myself and began pouring my heart out to my little cow. "I don't know what to do. Do I write to mark and let him know I'm okay...? I don't even know if he's okay." I sobbed quietly before continuing, "I guard such a big secret from everybody else and I hate it. This part of me is pathetic; I'm such a disgrace. I wonder what my mum and dad would think of me if they knew." I was surprised my Magic. It was like she knew I was upset and settled down beside me, gently placing her head in my lap. I started tracing my index finger around in a circular motion on the top of her head. "You're such a good cow did y'know that? I think I've told you more than I would dare to tell anyone else. I feel almost isolated here sometimes; like nothing I ever do is right." I snorted a little in between sobs before tilting my head slightly and resting it a top of Magic's. That's when I noticed Denny, just sitting there staring at me. Shit…

"D… Denny, how long have you been there for?" I demanded furiously.

His response made me feel slightly relieved, "only for a minute or two; enough to know that you don't feel happy here all the time." His face fell slightly after, which made me feel terrible. I beckoned for him to come and sit next to me on the hay. "So, that's all you heard?" I asked unsurely.

"Yep." He replied.

I sighed a little, more relieved than anything else. My secrets were safe with me for now. We sat in total silence for a while, but it wasn't awkward it felt nice…

_**Denny's P.O.V:**_

Man, I had never seen Chels like this before. Her eyes were red and puffy, her nose was all drippy and she had stains left on her face from tears. Even so, this didn't stop her from looking adorable. She just looked so helpless and well, I really didn't like it. Before realising what I was doing, I stretched my arm and gently draped it around her back. I watched as she stiffened a little before relaxing.

"Den." She whispered innocently, "Why are you being so nice to me all the time. It's not that I don't like it, it's just a little weird, y'know."

That completely threw me. What was I supposed to say? Uhm… "Of course I'm nice to you; you're my friend aren't ya? That's what friends do." I could see a slight smile tugging at her lips. The silence quickly broke by Chelsea's rumbling stomach, man she was always hungry. I guess she did work hard but still. A soft giggle escaped Chelsea's lips. "D'you wanna go get something to eat Chels?" I asked, whilst carefully standing up. She nodded quietly before taking my hand. We slowly made our way to the diner, taking about nothing really, maybe an odd joke here and there followed by fake laughter or a small conversation about fishing. I know I hardly knew the girl, but I could tell that something was definitely up.

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**Authors note: okay, so I may have changed Denny slightly. I've decided that I like writing in different people's p.o.v, so it's nice to have a slight variety? Ehh, I don't know. If you feel like it, please leave a review, I don't wanna sound desperate soo… yeah, anyway thanks guys. sorry it was way too short, im sure ill make it up to you guys later though. **


	7. Anger

**Authors note: Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was revising ready for my exams. Hopefully the length of this on will make up for it; the next chapter will either be posted tomorrow or the day after when I have some free time. Oh, thanks for the reviews guys, they mean a lot! Anyway read on…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest moon.**

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

We sat in the diner in silence for a while. I hated the silence; it meant I had time to think to myself. I don't like thinking very much anymore. I sighed and glanced up.

"Denny…" I quivered, my voice breaking a little.

"Chels? What's wrong?" he asked; his voice full of concern.

"Thanks." I smiled briefly before returning the blank expression on my face. He looked at me puzzled before saying: "what for?"

"For being my friend. I'm glad I know I can count on you if I ever have any problems. Thank you for paying for my food too, and for sitting her with me. I know I haven't been the best company but I really do appreciate everything." I smiled again. I meant this one; it was full of love and contentment. After finishing our food we sat there again. Denny cleared his throat a little as if to try and break the silence. I was too busy studying the room to care. Everyone looked happy; too happy, all smiling, talking and being really loud. I got a few odd looks from Lana and Natalie but I simply dismissed them, knowing I wouldn't hear the end of it tomorrow. Denny obviously noticed this too because after watching them for a couple of minutes he quickly spoke: "C'mon Chels, let's go. We're finished in here now right? I'll walk you back to the farm if you'd like." I nodded before slowly standing up and following. The cold air blew around my feet as I stepped outside. I gazed at the sky, surprised to see the moon already. Denny started up some conversation about fishing but I didn't pay much attention I was too lost in thought:

_*Mark and I were curled up, hidden amongst the tall blades of grass growing proudly. We gazed up at the sky intrigued, as if it was showing us all its hidden secrets amongst the clouds. "Claire? Why does the moon sometimes appear during the day?" Mark asked curiously._

_"I don't know. You're the older one, you should know that already. Maybe it's just sharing the sky with the sun. There's more than enough room for them both." I sighed happily, taking in the deep blue; mixing with the vivid orange and deep reds created from the sun setting. Mark chuckled at my response and rolled over to look at me for a second before pouncing on me; tickling me until I became out of breath and panting.*_

I was quickly pulled back to reality.

"Chels, we're at your house now, d'you need any help?" Denny asked, almost expecting me to accept his offer. I sighed, might as well after all he is a friend. I slowly pulled the door open, listening to its creak in protest. "You can come in if you'd like. I'll go make us some hot milk?"

"Sure that would be nice." He gave me a big grin before looking around my place.

'Oh goddess, I hope he doesn't notice the picture.' I sighed inwardly at the thought of having to explain myself. I'm sure I can create some random crap to tell him. I came back to see him settled in on the sofa, half asleep. I carefully handed him the mug, ensuring I wouldn't spill it all over him. I walked back over to the kitchen to collect my drink and went and joined Denny. As I sat down I completely missed the sofa and ended up on the ground, wearing all the hot milk.

"Shit, that's really fucking hot." I carried on cursing under my breath. Denny moved way too quickly to help me up. "Chels." He murmured softly, "you need to submerge your arm in water." He dragged me to the sink. My arm really did kill; luckily I didn't spill it anywhere else, except the floor… I rolled my eyes. I'm too clumsy for my own good. "Den, you can let go of my arm now, I got it." I said before yanking myself out of his grip. I gently brushed my fingers along the angry patterned skin that had reddened and swelled up. I knew it would leave a scar; I had one similar left on my right foot although it had faded significantly.

_*we were running carelessly around the house, dodging tables, jumping over chairs and rolling all over the floor. I tried copying Mark, attempting to jump over the coffee table like he had. I was just too small. My foot slipped and I landed on the glass table. It cracked under my weight, falling to pieces with everything else on it. I tumbled to the ground, hot coffee scalding my skin whilst tiny pieces of glass embedded themselves into my skin. The hospital said I'd fractured my ankle too*_

I was the world's clumsiest child.

"I better be going Chels" Denny gazed at me awkwardly. I stepped forward, bringing my arms around him into a hug. "Thank you for being so concerned and helping me." I whispered in his ear before pulling away. I smiled as I watched him walk away. I got changed, and climbed into bed vaguely running over the events of today in my head before drifting off.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I had to wake up at 5 today otherwise I was sure to miss my boat. I shoved my Stetson on my head before looking around my apartment and scowling. It was such a shitty place. The furniture was basic, a small couch that I barely fitted on with my 6'5 frame, a table and chair and a shitty television that didn't work properly. I made sure I had my key before slamming the door shut. Nobody was up at this time in the morning. The streets were bear with only the odd street light shining down. The sun was budding like a small flower, preparing its day ahead. Beautiful streaks of red, yellow and orange interrupted the deep dark blue. I stood on the dock with only a few minutes to spare before my boat arrived. I gazed into the depth of the ocean reflecting the colours of the sun. It was worth waking up this early to marvel at the scenery around me. I climbed aboard heading towards Sunny Island.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I woke up and stretched before staring at the red ugly mark left behind from yesterday. I didn't care if it left a scar. I didn't care much for my appearance; I was a farmer not a model. I quickly got changed before walking outside and groaning. It was already hot. I reached for my watering can and drenched my corn and tomato crops, silently praying the produce would be good this month. I carried on until I reach my barn. "Hey girl" I cooed, just like every other morning. She gave me a small moo before coming over and nuzzling my sore arm. I winced slightly before patting her head and spreading enough fodder around the barn. I took time in brushing her, ensuring her coat was all shiny and perfect before making my way to Chen's store.

I stepped into the small shop, having to blink several times for my eyes to readjust in the new light. "Good morning Chen." I greeted him, he nodded in response. "I don't suppose you have grass seeds in stock?" I questioned. He went through the back and reappeared with several small bags full of seeds, presumably enough to plant a small section of my field. I handed Chen the money before rushing back to my farm. I grabbed my hoe before making my way to a section of my farm reasonably close to the barn. I worked the ground well considering it was dry and by noon I had 4 3X3 plots ready to add seeds. Before adding the seeds I sprinkled a little water to allow the dirt to loosen up a little. I snuggled the seeds together with the soil and pressed down. I stood up, stretching my achy muscles before admiring my work. "Hopefully they'll grow soon" I smiled, "then Magic can roam freely."

I decided that as I had free time, I would go and see Julia for a bit. I'd like to explore the forest too as the bridge has recently been built. I walked in just as Vaughn was leaving. "Hey Vaughn." I smiled, greeting him friendly. He just grunted whilst walked past. Fine suit yourself then. I walked to the shop and before I could even speak I had Julia pulling at my arm with a horrified expression plastered on her face "what did you do?" she gasped.

"It's just a burn, no big deal." I rolled my eyes before continuing "I've done worse." I chuckled at her expression.  
"Are you sure?" she asked, not sounding convinced.

"Yep, besides it'll only leave a scar. No biggie?" if I thought she looked horrified before, the mention of it scarring left an even worse, horrified face. Ah well, I bet she's glad it's my body and not hers. I shrugged, not overly bothered on the matter.

"Well, if you say so." She said dramatically.

I couldn't bear being there any longer. I lied saying I needed to check on my calf before fleeing. I don't know what it was about her today, but her whole attitude really irritated me. Maybe it's safe to avoid her for a while. Well, today's the day I check out the forest then. I've been meaning to do so for a while, this is going to be so exciting. I crossed the little wooden bridge, thinking of the story of the three little goats and the troll as I did so. As soon as I walked a little way into the trees something shocked me. A small girl with blonde wavy hair stood in front of me declaring herself as the Witch Princess. She was wearing a little dress covered by a long black cloak; she did look the part. She told me I could come visit whenever, hmm, maybe I will. Who knows? I carried on exploring all the little nooks and crannies of the forest. It was a truly beautiful place; it smelled fresh and quite floral. I made a mental note that this was a good place to come foraging. I carried on up the mountain; being careful with my footing as to not damage myself further. I noted down the mines, perhaps a good place to come during winter when I have more stamina. I carried on further until I reached the summit. Wow, you could see the whole island from here. The view was breath taking. Everything looked so little and ant like, it was so surreal. After discovering this, I decided to spend more free time here, it was too beautiful to just disregard. I carried on making my way down the slim mountain path and through the forest; paying no attention as I hummed to myself.

**_Vaughn's P.O.V_**

I enjoyed the time I spent in the forest. That was one of the only decent things about the Island simply because you can spend hours getting lost without someone finding you. It was a perfect place for someone who disliked human interaction 24/7. I was minding my own business, not doing anything much when the happy go lucky farmer stopped in front of me.

"Hey Vaughn." She smiled. Gah, I don't want to speak with her right now. I just shrugged and walked away, heading for the beach.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

Why was he so rude? I know he doesn't like people but still. I followed him to the beach hoping to get some sort of response from him. we walked in silence for a little until I attempted to make conversation. "Vaughn, why do you prefer animals over humans? i mean animals are so much easier to understand, so I get that, I was just wondering if there was any other reason behind it?"

He grunted before saying "What's it to you? Why won't you leave me alone? You're being irritating."

I carried on trying to make conversation "I'm not trying to be annoying. I'm making conversation, what's so wrong with that?" I pouted a little before placing my hands on my hip.

"Leave me alone you annoying cow. I don't want to talk now; in fact I don't want to talk to you ever. Do you understand? Now beat it kid.' He snarled at me aggressively before turning his back to me and strolling along the beach.

I could feel the anger that has been slowly simmering inside me for the last few weeks finally boil over. I know I should have left, but I didn't want to, I wanted to let my anger out; I followed him, preparing myself for the outbreak about to happen. He quickly turned, giving me a deathly glare before continuing on his little stroll.

"Why are you being so fucking difficult?" I yelled, grabbing his arm to try and get him to face me. He just brushed it off and stared at me blankly. He quickly shrugged at me before carrying on walking. Pissed was an understatement of how I felt. I was so fed up of him just ignoring me or grunting. In fact I was pissed off at pretty much everyone on this goddess damned island. I just wanted a nice conversation with him. Was that so much to ask for? No? I didn't think so anyway. He was so cold and stand- offish, he really couldn't help himself.

"Well don't moan at me for being annoying. I'm trying to be friendly. I work my ass off to try and be nice to you. In fact scrap that I work my ass off to be friendly and nice to everyone on this goddess damn island." I spat at him through gritted teeth. "Y'know, I'll let you into a small secret of mine shall I?" I paused, seeing if he would respond; he didn't. "I used to be like you. In fact I still can be when I want to. My personality sucked; I was a bitch to everyone, couldn't stand anyone. I acted cold, selfish and heartless towards the ones I loved the most and that fucked right up. So don't get all pissy with me for trying to be friendly." I gasped for breath before continuing, glancing up at him briefly as I did so; he was still staring blankly at me. His amethyst orbs couldn't stop him from showing emotion; he was hurt. He glanced down, noticing me looking at him and quickly pulled his Stetson over his eyes. I had badly hurt him. Who cares? I carried on yelling anyway. "Hey I mean I almost killed someone because of how I was. In fact I say almost, I don't even know if he's alive. But I changed for the better. Me being bubbly, talkative, actually showing an interest in you shows that I like you. Get that. Sharing emotions is only human, now don't get me wrong, I don't want you to change or smile and greet me like some different cowboy because well that would be freaky. Well, I'm just saying it would be nice to actually have a normal conversation with you. Get that?" I could feel my face burning; my body shaking tremendously which proves just how angry I was. I don't think I've ever shouted at anyone like this before. I let the silence consume me for a second before realisation of what I'd just shouted out sank in. Fuck…

**Authors note: Sorry if it was slightly jumpy. It was hard to progress and show everything I wanted to. I could have split them into two chapters but that just ruins the fun ;). In the next chapter it'll be similar dialogue from the beach scene but just from Vaughn's P.O.V because there was a lot of his thoughts that I'd like to include. Sorry if there was any mistakes it's late and spell check is being silly. This is why i rated it a T. Thanks for reading guys, i really hope it was okay!**


	8. That goddess damn farmer

**Authors note: okay so this is practically the same as the last, it just includes all Vaughn's thoughts and feelings because I felt it would be too long if I included it in the other. Nothing much else happens in this one so sorry guys; on the bright side, I updated today? I should hopefully update the next chapter tomorrow as I have some of it already written. Sorry for the shortness of the chapter.**

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_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I was minding my own business, not doing anything much when the happy go lucky farmer stopped in front of me.

"Hey Vaughn." She smiled. Gah, I don't want to speak with her right now. I just shrugged and walked away, heading for the beach. I carried on walking; hoping she would soon leave but she stalked me. Goddess damn girl. I carried on walking in silence, ignoring everything that came out of her annoying little mouth. "Vaughn, why do you prefer animals over humans? I mean animals are so much easier to understand, so I get that, I was just wondering if there was any other reason behind it?"

Why was she asking, what's it to her anyway? I prefer animals because they prefer me; I'm not telling her that though. I grunted before speaking: "What's it to you? Why won't you leave me alone? You're being irritating." She carried on annoying the fuck out of me all the way down to the beach: "I'm not trying to be annoying. I'm making conversation, what's so wrong with that?"

Psh, what was wrong with making conversation? Everything was wrong with her making conversation with me. I don't look like the type you'd have a nice conversation with do I? I'd had enough, she clearly didn't understand the meaning of leave me alone.

"Leave me alone you annoying cow. I don't want to talk now; in fact I don't want to talk to you ever. Do you understand? Now beat it kid.' I snarled aggressively before turning away and strolling further along the beach. I guess that was maybe a little harsh, but hey, that's me altogether; Mr cold hearted, antisocial cowboy right? The footsteps behind me had died down a little so I quickly glanced behind me. I sighed before giving Chelsea one of my best deathly glares, hoping it would make her back off further; I knew it was the best because I had practiced many a times in the mirror. It surprised me how quiet she was being considering she was so close. She yanked my arm hard, spinning me around to face her. I couldn't believe how strong she was. I brushed her hands off my arm and stared at her for a couple of seconds; I was about to yell some crap about what does she think she's doing but she beat me to it:

"Why are you being so fucking difficult?" She yelled furiously. I could tell how angry she was, her ears were practically giving off steam, and her face was burning red. I gave a quick shrug before carrying on with my walk, shocked that such a small character could yell so loudly. The second time she started screeching I turned to face her. Might as well listen to this so she'll finish quickly, I sighed inwardly. This was the first time someone actually had the nerve to yell at me though, it was almost entertaining. Ha. I watched the little figure in front of me shake with anger as she continued shrieking.

"Well don't moan at me for being annoying. I'm trying to be friendly. I work my ass off to try and be nice to you. In fact scrap that I work my ass off to be friendly and nice to everyone on this goddess damn island." She spat at me, her teeth gritted and her fists clenched. She actually looked considerably scary. "Y'know, I'll let you into a small secret of mine shall I?" a small silence replaced her angriness, followed by a bitter tone; I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear this or not. "I used to be like you. In fact I still can be when I want to. My personality sucked; I was a bitch to everyone, couldn't stand anyone. I acted cold, selfish and heartless towards the ones I loved the most and that fucked right up."

Ouch, that hurt. So that's what people think of me huh? I guess I was no different to my parents then. Hearing this from her made me hate myself just a little more than I already did. I prepared myself to walk away but something stopped me.

"So don't get all pissy with me for trying to be friendly."

I almost chuckled watching her gasp for breath, images of fish out of water swirled my mind before being sharply replaced with the angry scene in front of me.

"Hey I mean I almost killed someone because of how I was. In fact I say almost, I don't even know if he's alive. But I changed for the better. Me being bubbly, talkative, actually showing an interest in you shows that I like you. Get that. Sharing emotions is only human, now don't get me wrong, I don't want you to change or smile and greet me like some different cowboy because well that would be freaky. Well, I'm just saying it would be nice to actually have a normal conversation with you. Get that?"

I was frozen into place. Did she really just come out and say all that? Wow, I didn't think she had it in her. What did she mean by almost killing someone? My eyes widened in shock for a split second as I looked around before settling my gaze upon Chelsea once more. Di… did she just insult me. Hurt flashed across my face briefly before I retained the blank expression I always showed. I gently tugged at the tip of my hat, hiding my eyes; they let off more emotion than necessary.

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**Authors note: kay, I ****know this was a rubbish chapter, please forgive me okay? Ill speak to you guys soon.**


	9. Running

**Authors note: wow guys I had a two hour long history exam today which was actually way better than I hoped, if I don't update tomorrow it because I had a two hour English exam and probably won't feel like writing. I'm sorry I left you with such a rubbish chapter yesterday. Oh I got pretty excited when I checked my emails this morning to discover one of my favourite writers had reviewed my story :3 that was pretty cool. I don't know if she'll read this but thanks for the review TheSoundofMusic. Anyway I'm getting distracted, so I guess I should just let you read the story instead.**

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_**Chelsea's p.o.v**_

I burst into tears. Big, fat, wet droplets fell from my eyes; starting to create ugly red stains down my face. My sobbing increased to loud moans as I collapsed to the floor; crumpling up like used paper onto the silky, soft, sand around me. I didn't care that I had just created a massive outburst on the beach. All that mattered right now was keeping everything safe. I tried to stay as still as possible but it was hard to maintain my shaky joints. I was so stupid. Stupid, stupid Claire... Chelsea? She always got in the way ugh. I could feel the sand beneath me dampen slightly; a salty taste left behind in my mouth. I wasn't sure if it was from the sea or my eyes but either way I didn't care. I clamped my eyes shut tightly; wishing everything away whilst listening to the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the shore. I stiffened slightly as I felt the vibration of footsteps through the sand.

"What the hell did you do to her?" a familiar voice shouted. I didn't bother looking up; it was too much energy. An image flicked through my mind as I associated the voice with a face…Denny.

"I didn't do anything." A second voice mumbled; I knew it was Vaughn, I hadn't heard him leave. 'Why's he lying? This is all his fault.' I thought bitterly. 'If he had of replied to all my questions then none of this would've happened and I wouldn't be in this state. I guess I'm just looking for someone else to blame. Mmm he won't ever speak to me again.' I shuddered slightly; cold. The waves were lapping closer and closer towards me; I could feel the sand summoning them closer. Wanting to wash away the girl; wash away her sorrows with each wave until she was lifeless.

"Chels?" I heard Denny whisper. He was crouched next to me, his breath tickling my face slightly. He was the last person I wanted to speak with right now.

"Neither of you move okay?" His joints popped as he stood up; stretching, before walking to his little hut.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

"Neither of you move okay?" Denny said hoarsely; his face filled with worry for Chelsea.

Like hell I was standing here waiting for him to get back. I was going to sort out this mess myself. I glanced around a second before carefully scooping her up and bolting off the beach; unsure of where to go.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

One minute I was nestled in the sand, the next I was in the air. We were running. I don't know where and I don't know why; hell I didn't even know who this was. My head was pressed lightly against his chest. If I tried hard enough I could hear the faint bu-bum bu-bum of his heart. He smelt sweet but musky like cologne with the fresh smell of fodder and a slight hint of well… animal? It was nice though. I opened one eye quickly before instantly closing it. A black shirt… that could only mean… "Vaughn?" I whispered weakly. I carried on bumping up and down until we stopped and he laid me down somewhere rock solid…

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I knew the fisherman would be onto me soon so I carried on running. I couldn't go to her farm or the animal shop as I knew they were the first places he would look. Instead I kept on running. Through the forest with its dirty yet woody smell until I reached the mountain where I ran and ran until I reached the top. I gently placed her down, avoiding all the stones splayed about. I was unsure of what to do next so I sat down, struggling to cross my legs, next to her. Damn it, now what do I do? Do I just sit here and wait? Or do I go and leave her be? That last one wasn't a good option. This is partly my fault. I sighed loudly before staring out into the sky. It was already getting late; the sun was setting; leaving a trail of cloud in its place. I scowled as I glanced at Chelsea again; she was still sobbing loudly to herself. Once the sky darkened I once again picked the tiny girl up, this time carrying her to the farm.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

It was hard to believe I was still sobbing or that Vaughn had sat here this whole time with me. I stayed in the same position I'd created from the beach; maybe shifting slightly once my arm went dead. I had a slight feeling my joints were going to kill later. I heard him sigh deeply before my sobbing died out any remaining sound. It must be getting dark out now; I could tell as the moon light illuminated my skin making me look much more frail and paler than I already was. I felt his hands wrap around my cold, stiff body before he ran again. I wanted to protest, to scream and shout and tell him to put me down and leave me be but something stopped me. I'd caused him too much pain already today.

This time I knew where we were… my house. I heard the door protesting as he prised it open before placing me on my bed. I listened carefully as he plopped down on my sofa, obviously waiting for me to say something then. 'If he wants a goddess apology he can fuck right off.' I mentally rolled my eyes. The eerie silence started to bug me. I swear to goddess my stomach likes to rumble at really inappropriate times like now; it made a sound like a dying whale. I heard Vaughn chuckle silently to himself before I flitted back through today in my mind; I hadn't actually eaten anything… no wonder it sounded desperate. It grumbled and moaned three more times before I decided to something about it. I groaned as I rolled on my back, kicking my arms and legs out like a star fish.

"Oh finally. So you ARE alive then" I heard Vaughn mutter under his breath.

I grunted a little, feeling his eyes on me, before rapidly rising from the bed. Too fast. i got dizzy and almost tumbled to the ground; he caught me.

"thanks." I whispered as I slowly made my way to the kitchen. "Want food?" I croaked. I sounded so pathetic; like a little kid who'd just had their favourite toy taken away from them.

He nodded before pushing me out of the way.

"What was that for?" I questioned anxiously.

"If you think I'm letting you cook in your condition then you're wrong. I don't wanna have to save you from a burning building too. "

So he does have a heart after all? That's interesting. It's nice to know under all those layers there's something warm and fuzzy about him.

I just nodded before walking over to the couch, retaining a somewhat comfortable position- head tucked neatly into my stomach with my arms wrapped around my knees. I quickly sat up when Vaughn nudged me before handing me a bowl full of some gloopy, oaty white substance.

"What is this?" I asked innocently.

His eyes went all big and round like dinner plates before he said: "what does it look like? It's porridge you idiot."

"Porridge? I've always wanted to try this." I smiled weakly. I can remember buying the oats in the hope that I'd try it someday; it was something the 'parents' would never allow us to have.

"Mmm, its real good, thanks." I flashed him a genuine smile before wolfing down the rest. Once we'd both washed the bowls up, we sat back on the couch in silence.

'I wonder why he's staying so long. It's weird considering he would barely look at me until earlier. It's funny how some things change.' I thought to myself. I enjoy talking to myself a lot; it's nicer and provides company when I get all lonely. It's better this way.

I watched as he turned to face me; his sapphire eyes piercing my skin from where they lingered too long. He sighed before frantically asking "Care to tell me about what happened on the beach?" he raised his eyebrows up slightly, questioningly.

"uhm… I uh… no." I said firmly.

"Well tough luck sunshine. I'm not leaving until you tell me."

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**Authors note: another chapter down means I'm a little bit closer to introducing Mark woo. Then the fun will begin. I'm just unsure on whether or not I want to start romance scenes first. Hmm. Anyway, thanks for reading guys. :3**


	10. Explanations

**Authors note: This chapter made me sad when I typed it up; but not as sad as my English exam made me. I had to write about something important so I chose something really depressing and I actually cried…**

**I keep forgetting to include these; Disclaimer: I don't own harvest moon.**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

So I realised that he meant it when he said he wouldn't budge. I could either lie my way out of this or tell parts of the truth.

"What do you want to know?" I mumbled nervously, biting my lip.

"Firstly, I want you to explain to me the whole screaming thing. You personally don't look like the type to be capable to pull something like that off." He raised his eyebrows quickly before rolling his eyes a little at me.

"I was angry. Everyone on this island has this happy go lucky, if something goes wrong it's okay we can just shrug it off and act like it never happened attitude, which irritates me so bad. I know they're good people but they make me feel like an outcast sometimes."

It felt strange confessing this to someone I barely knew. Ah well… sometimes things happen for a reason.

"And then you come along, completely ignoring everything I say. I was already in a bad mood and you happened to make it worse." I shifted uncomfortably before carrying on, "I'm sorry if anything I said on the beach upset you. I didn't mean it, everything just blurted out accidently. I said way more than I should have too, about me changing and other stuff…" I trailed off.

"You don't need to apologise." He said, looking just as uncomfortable as I felt.

"Are you done asking questions yet?"

"Nope, I've only asked one, besides it's the least you can do." He added slyly.

"fine." I huffed. "Let me guess. You want to know what I meant by how I nearly killed someone and wasn't even sure if they're alive. I'm guessing you also want to know about what I meant when I fucked up and stuff right?" I felt a small frown emerge from my face as I watched him slowly nod slightly. "Right, this is going to take a while, okay? And If I start to cry don't expect me to carry on for a while."

"okay." He mumbled.

"Don't think you can just ignore me after this either. I was trying to be friendly earlier and I screwed up."

He glanced at me as if signalling for me to carry on.

"Well… I uh… it was my brother I almost killed." I blurted out.

"It was a season before I came to the island; he still hadn't woken up. It was one of the last days of autumn; the reds and oranges of the trees had flitted down and covered the ground. One of our favourite things to do when we were little was to jump in the piles that dad had created, listening to the crunch and crackling sound the leaves made. Anyway, I was brushing up the last cow, asking her how she was doing and telling her how good she was. Talking to animals always calms me a little. Mark came storming into the barn, demanding we go and do something, now the farm work was done. Like always, I was a killjoy and repeatedly said no; this wound him up further and so he pulled the puppy dog eyes on me, he always used them when he couldn't get his own way, and I just gave in. I was dragged over to his car and we went on a little journey, to a place we always went, the beach. It must have been about 8 in the evening when we left to go back home. The wind had picked up and the first signs of snow began to trickle out from the clouds, adding a frosty, glimmering new coat to everything." I could feel the tears about to resurface. I quickly glanced at him to make sure he was paying full attention before I continued. "Even though it was only a small amount of snow it happened to turn the roads pretty damn icy. Mark asked me to text his girlfriend Karen for him and I refused grumpily, I didn't like her at all. That was the worst thing I could have done because then… he reached over and tickled me, removing his hands from the steering wheel for less than a minute, he carried on tickling me until I screeched… bbuut. But then it was too late. The car had slipped on a particularly icy spot and swerved onto the other side of the road, straight into an oncoming lorry; a big white lorry with a man who wasn't paying any attention to anything but his bloody phone. The car was badly damaged, mainly on the drivers' side, as we had been slammed into several trees, also falling into a ditch. When people found us we were both unconscious. All I can remember was the panic shrill of voices and then people rushing everywhere. I had a few injuries from the accident but it was the Mark who came out worse." I stopped, hearing my voice quiver slightly and break as if I were about to cry. "Because Mark had internal injuries he was put into a medical induced coma. I couldn't deal with the added stress my parents placed on me or all the blame and so I left before he woke up… or… died. Nobody knows where I am. I just slipped into the night. I am a terrible human. What sort of sister leaves her brother to fend for himself? What sort of person leaves someone so close to them behind when he may be on his death bed?" I felt the warmth of a hand wiping away a couple of tears from my face and smiled. "I know what you're probably thinking: I'm so stupid. I'm an idiot. I'm selfish. I'm pathetic. Urgh." I glanced up at him quickly.

"Stop insulting yourself." He murmured. "Why did they blame you anyway?"

"Because I was the one who woke up first; besides Mark was the best and I was the kid on the side, not really wanted much." I sighed thinking of Mark. 'I wonder if he ever woke up… it's been a season and a half since I left. I wonder if they're worried about me?' I quickly shook my thoughts out of my head. "I changed for the better because the girl I was before did a lot of stupid, unreasonable things that made people hate me… a lot. After the accident I had nowhere to turn to, so I came here in the hope that, maybe others will accept me instead." A silence fell down on us before I said: "don't think I'm saying anything else now. Please don't tell anyone else, you're the only one I've spoken to about this. Don't make me regret it." I pleaded.

I watched as he stood up and walked over to my bed. He picked the photo up and came and sat next to me again. I resisted the temptation to tell him to put the photo down.

"Is this Mark? He asked, cocking his head slightly to the side.

"Mhm, yep."

"who's the girl?"

I snatched the photo out of his hand and cradled it slightly before returning it to its proper place.

"That girl looked a lot like you, same eyes and freckled face." He said again.

"Oh, her, that just Claire." I shrugged.

"Claire?"

"Yeah. No one important." I shrugged. 'If he didn't realise that Claire was me then I probably sounded like a harsh bitch about her right now. He didn't need to know who Claire was. She IS no one important; someone in the past.'

"It's getting pretty late out, shouldn't you be going to Mirabelle's?"

"Will you be alright by yourself?" he asked. Was that concern I heard in his voice… wow.

"Maybe. Who cares?" I shrugged, acting cold like he did before.

**_Vaughn's P.O.V_**

I couldn't believe Chelsea had so many different layers to her. I would have never of thought that she of all people had gone through that sort of stuff. She hides everything too easily. I felt bad leaving her on her own after that though. I took a slow stroll to Mirabelle's place. It was already past 12 so I knew that the door would be locked, just like always. I rummaged in my pockets for my key. Dammit. They were in my room, I can clearly remember leaving them behind earlier, promising myself that I wouldn't be out long. I couldn't exactly disturb Mirabelle she'd kill me. Third time this month. Right… I made my way back to Chelsea's farm. I knocked on the door and waited.

"oh, hey Vaughn, I thought you were going to bed." She asked, yawning. I felt totally embarrassed standing there as she was already in pj's- very revealing ones.

"I was but she uh, locked me out and seeing as I left my key behind I have nowhere to stay…" I reached for the tip of my hat, pulling it down over my face as I blushed slightly.

"Oh, well, come on in then. Here you can have my bed. I don't have anything for you to change into though." She gestured to what she was wearing, "these are Julia's, I only brought a change of clothes with me when I left and I haven't brought many items since. Sorry." She looked up at me with big glassy blue eyes.

"it's fine, don't worry about it. I'm not sleeping in your bed though."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm perfectly fine on the couch."

She chucked me a couple of blankets and a pillow before tip-toing over to the light switch.

"Night Vaughn, I'm really sorry about today, anyway I'll see you tomorrow. Night."

"Night." I grunted, before settling down. It wasn't long before she started snoring. I listened to her peacefully, encouraging me to sleep.

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**Authors note: I hope it was okay? I wasn't really in the mood to add anything else. Sorry for the super long paragraph, there was so much speech D: Thanks for reading guys! :3**


	11. Letter

**A/N: Hi guys, I hope the story's been okay so far; thank you to everyone who's read it so far, it really means a lot. I don't know if any of you are actually enjoying it though, but I'm carrying on anyway, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own harvest moon.**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I woke up to the sweet aroma of porridge wafting through the room. Confusion washed through me before I flicked through my memories of last night.

"shoot." I muttered under my breath.

"Morning miss snore a lot." He chuckled.

"Uh good morning?" I replied, unsure of the current situation.

"I made breakfast, see ya later?" I smiled sleepily at him as he walked out the door.

'Why's he acting differently?' I asked myself before shoving down the bowl in front of me. I quickly changed into work clothes and ran out the door; late. I ignored my crops completely and ran to Magic's barn.

"Hey girl." I cooed, surprised when she didn't answer.

"What's wrong? Are you not feeling too good? I asked her. I grabbed a couple of handfuls of fodder throwing it in the feeding area before running down to Mirabelle's.

"Hey Mirabelle." I greeted her, "D'you have any medicine I can give my calf? I don't think she's feeling too great."

"Sure dear, that'll be 1000G." I handed her the money before asking, "do you know where Vaughn is? I was sort of hoping he'd come and look at her considering he's some sort of animal expert apparently."

Mirabelle rolled her eyes before speaking, "He's in his room, second door on the right."

I didn't bother knocking I just barged in.

"It's always polite to knock." He grumbled. "What do you want anyway?"

"Can you come check out my cow, I think she's ill but I don't want to give her medicine if she isn't." I replied urgently.

We walked to the barn in silence. I watched as he placed his hand on her stomach trying to sooth her. He then went and checked her eyes and mouth; I'm guessing to see if there was some sort of infection or something. He looked at me quickly as if to signal something and then rolled his eyes.

"Medicine." He demanded.

I happily chucked it to him, watching as he coaxed her into drinking it.

"She should be better by tomorrow although I'd keep checking on her just to be careful. It's nothing to worry about though Chelsea."

I nodded. "Thank you." I quickly turned and grabbed his arm, "Thanks for last night too, I guess its nicer sharing my burden with someone else. Seriously if you tell anyone anything I'll kill you. You're the only person I've told." I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to pull a serious expression- it failed miserably though.

"Sure, I won't. You were talking in your sleep about writing a letter. If it's to your brother then you should." He shrugged, his purple eyes meeting mine for a second. I felt the blush creep up giving my cheeks a light dusting of red.

'He is really hot. I wonder if he maybe has a girlfriend.' I asked myself, quickly followed by a 'let's be serious here, it's the cold and mysterious cowboy; of course he doesn't, although he totally should.'

I was glad Magic was going to be alright though, she was the most talkative and friendly cow I've ever looked after and I treated her like she was family.

After watering my crops I made my way back to my farm house and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. I quickly scribbled down the address and then my address.

'Hmm, now I don't know what to write.' I shrugged before pressing the pen to the paper and letting my thoughts take over:

_Dear Mark, _

_I decided to write to you to let you know that I'm doing okay. You'll be shocked to hear that I left by boat… but now I'm on an island running my own little farm. It's funny how things have turned out for me. I've actually made friends on the island and everyone accepts me and is willing to be there for me, except this cowboy kid but I'm working there with him. You'd love it here, there's plenty of places to fish and explore, the scenery is beautiful and most importantly the farm that I run is actually doing okay. The beach here reminds me of you and not a day goes by that I don't wonder about how you're doing and if you're okay. I'm sorry I left when I did I just couldn't come with all the blame and pressure pressed upon me; I hope you'll forgive me. This letter is a touch and go thing; I don't know if you're alive and coping or if you died – sorry to be so blunt. I know that if you don't reply then I can expect the worst and mourn a little more than I've done so already. If you're okay please write back? Maybe you could visit in the future too. Anyway I miss you._

_Lots of love from your one and only favourite sister,_

_Claire._

_xoxo_

I sealed the letter in a spare envelope before running to Natalie and asking her to send it with the rest of the shipments. Now all I've gotta do is wait, it'll be like a game- a waiting game…

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**A/N- I apologise for the shortness of this, I've been pretty busy and this was all I was able to write. Hopefully I'll update tomorrow although I'm not promising anything, bye guys; thanks for reading.**


	12. An eventful day

And so I waited. It had been a week since I'd sent the letter and I hadn't heard anything. I carried on thinking the worst until this morning.

Nat had come storming into my house with the girls and dragged me out of bed. As soon as I thumped on the floor I became weary of the situation.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked, letting curiosity get the better of me.

"You never told us you had a boyfriend?" Julia screeched.

'A boyfriend? What were they talking about? I'd never had a boyfriend before…'

Nat quickly answered my unspoken questions by handing me a big brown envelope. I hadn't noticed it in her hands before now.

"That's not from my boyfriend, it'll be my brother." I mumbled as I tore the letter open, letting excitement ripple through me.

_To my favourite sister, _

_I'm very much alive and, well… recovering. My injuries aren't serious anymore and I'm out of hospital now. I'm glad you wrote as Mum and dad both told me you had died. I confronted them after receiving this and they're furious, I don't understand why they would lie to me about you. I can't believe you run your own farm! That's seriously cool; I'm glad it's doing so well for you. There's something you should know, I know you never liked her but me and Karen split, can you believe the cow was having an affair whilst I was in hospital. With Rick of all people?! It doesn't make any difference now because she's turned into a heavy alcoholic and can hardly remember much including the fact that she got engaged to Rick, she flaunts herself around the town like a common whore. It's probably better with her gone now. Oh she mentioned Sunny Island though- she read your letter. She knows where it is as apparently she and Popuri went there on a bachelorette party. Popuri and Kai got married during winter; we really did miss a lot! Anyway Dr Trent said he'd assist me there if I decided to visit, so I'll be seeing you in the future if you still wanna see your big bro. There better be hot girls there though! Oh you better not have a boyfriend or you'll be in trouble missy, I don't wanna miss out on all your fun haha, besides I should be the one to decide if he's worthy first, remember that. _

_Hope to see you soon, write back or your dead… _

_Love from Mark_

_P.s I sent your penknife and your favourite anklet so don't cut yourself when you pull them out of the envelope; I know how much of a klutz you are. I figured you probably missed them and I know how much they mean to you._

I peered inside the envelope and sure enough there were the items he had mentioned. I retrieved the anklet first, tracing the intricate design with my fingers. My real parents had given me this before the accident and I've kept it with me ever since. It had belonged to my mum originally, which was why it was so precious to me; they died when I was 3 so I don't have many memories of them. I've been with Mark ever since. I pulled the pen knife out, feeling the soft grooves in the wood of the handle. There were so many memories behind this as well. I smiled as several flashed through my mind at once.

"Let me read the letter." The girls squealed together at once, immediately snatching it away from me.

"Ohh, hot girls ehh? Julia chortled.

"Hey back off, you already have a boyfriend." Nat cried

"You'll have to fight me for him." Lana shrieked viciously.

"Woah guys don't forget this is my brother, not just a toy." I said quickly before adding: "besides isn't there a new guy supposedly coming tomorrow?" I waggled my eyebrows mockingly in Nat and Lana's direction before cracking up.

"Lana I thought you liked Denny?" Julia questioned innocently.

Dammit, we'll be here a while now. Brilliant… they might as well settle down knowing how dramatic and long Lana can make things.

"Well…" she rolled her eyes, sighing loudly and of course dramatically, "He just isn't interested. I've tried everything; convinced him to go fishing with me, dragged him to the diner, even invited him to the fireworks event. I try so hard and I really like him but this is just so difficult. Maybe he likes someone else. Huh, none of you guys would date him right? I really hope not because that defeats the girl code: Chicks before dicks. Or maybe Denny's gay and has a manly crush on some guy. I mean who could resist such an amazing star like me?" she sighed dramatically before looking at us expectantly for some sort of response.

Julia gave me a sneaky look, probably remembering the weird scenario I'd spoken to her about Denny and I, before speaking: "well, uh, maybe Denny just isn't interested in a relationship at all. I mean not all guys want to commit to someone, right guys?"

We all shook our heads in agreement. I was glad someone could answer with something way better than my sympathetic smile and oh, I'm sure things will change for you soon. I was no good when it came to relationship advice or anything relationship related. The truth was I hated them. Something about two people being in love just made my skin itch and crawl. I've never been in a relationship and that's how it should stay. Sure, I crush on cute guys but the idea quickly becomes boring and I lose interest. I flirt but I'm unaware when guys flirt back or attempt to make a move. Love is an annoying concept that I will never fully understand.

After a boring hour wasted on more relationship advice, I finally wriggled away to tend to my farm. I was proud with how my crops were doing. It was my first tomato harvest today and so far they all looked good, not the best but good enough to make decent profit.

"Hey Magic, you feeling okay today?" I asked happily; glad to see she was fully recovered.

"You're fully grown now huh? I better buy a milking tool from Mirabelle then today."

I brushed her gently before pushing her outside onto the grass I'd planted.

"Here, you get to go out today. Enjoy the sunshine sweetie." I cooed before running down to Mirabelle's

"Hi, Mirabelle." I greeted her, beaming widely.

"Hey Chelsea, what can I do for you today?"

"Can I purchase a milker please? Oh and a cow miracle potion?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.

"She's grown up already? That's good. Here you go dear." she replied handing me the products.

"Yep. Do you think it's too soon to give her the miracle potion? I desperately want her to have a calf."

"Not at all. If you want I can get Vaughn to help you give her the potion as most people find it difficult on their first try."

"Oh, okay then?"

"Vaughn." She yelled loudly.

I watched as a black hat appeared from around the divider. A scowl was plastered on his face.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked curiously.

"Be a dear and help Chelsea give her cow the miracle potion." She demanded before shooing us out of the shop.

We walked over to my farm in complete silence. Once we had entered the barn with Magic trailing behind us, he spoke quickly: "Can I have the miracle potion please?"

I tossed him the product, watching and listening carefully to the instructions.

"Okay, so first you need to ensure you have the right cow in the barn and then you have to section them off into the birthing pen. Some cows can be stubborn and refuse which is why Mirabelle wanted me to help so you didn't stress the poor animal out. Once you have her sectioned off, you need the fodder placed here." He pointed to the feeding area of the pen, "and just sprinkle all of the miracle potion over it."

"Is that it?" I asked, thinking it was more difficult than that.

We finished up impregnating my cow. He'd already gone before I could say thanks.

"Well girl, hopefully you'll be able to have a calf now." I murmured, stroking the fur on the top of her head. "You better take care of the little calf when it's born, okay?" I asked her. I chuckled lightly upon hearing her mooing in response.

"See you later, I'll be back to check on you soon" I patted her nose before leaving.

'Better go get some food, I haven't eaten this morning.' I thought to myself.

I began carelessly stomping my way to the diner, minding my own business when I came upon two people arguing.

"It's none of your business to what I'm doing, beat it punk."

"Hey, chill down man, I'm trying to be helpful. You shouldn't be so rude."

"Whatever, I don't need help, I'm more than capable of finding things on my own."

I rushed over to where Denny and Vaughn were stood arguing.

"Why are you two arguing?" I asked.

"Because Denny won't leave me alone. I don't need help." Vaughn huffed at me.

"Den." I said helplessly, "it's probably best you don't help then?"

"Whatever, bye Chels." He replied angrily. I watched as he stormed off.

"What are you looking for Vaughn?" I asked, intrigued; curiosity always got the better of me.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter." He replied through clenched teeth.

"Are you sure? You look pretty fed up. I can help you look for it if you want? After all two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"Fine." He sighed, "I'm just looking for my work box, it has all the tools I need. I left it somewhere round here and now I can't find it."

"oh, okay." I rolled my eyes at him a little before saying: "you really should let people help you more."

I went under the tree for a second, spotting a red box.

"Is this it?" I asked hoping it would be.

"Typical." He snarled, "I've looked there twice."

"Not well enough then, cowboy." I chuckled. "Hey, since I found it, you owe me." I cried.

"Owe you?..."

"Yeah, you can come and eat with me in the diner. You have to pay too" I added, sneakily.

"Fine."

The diner was packed which made a first. The girls sat on one table together, obviously discussing something 'important' by the looks on their faces. Denny and Elliot were also deep in discussion. A couple of people I'd never seen before – probably tourists- were sprawled out on other tables. Luckily there was still a table free so I plonked myself down; leaving Vaughn to order for me. It didn't surprise me to see he'd ordered two bowls of porridge. I stared at him for a little while whilst he sat down opposite me.

"What?" he growled at me.

I shook my head slightly, "Nothing." I grinned, "Thanks for the porridge."

I shoved mine down too quickly, feeling it stick to the back of my throat. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until I'd started eating. I coughed and spluttered trying to remove the lump. Strong hands came down on my back, slapping me.

"Thanks…" I mumbled, embarrassed.

"No problem. You know you actually have to chew your food rather than swallowing it whole." Vaughn said sarcastically.

"Hey, I don't need to be lectured. I'm not two anymore." I replied hastily

"Sure you're not" he replied in a bittersweet tone.

"Whatever cowboy. I gotta go now, see ya. Thanks for the meal." I shouted as I left the diner.

I leant against the wall outside, enjoying the summery breeze tickling my face. Huh he was such a mystery to figure out. "I think befriending him is going okay so far" I whispered to myself. I was shocked that he actually let me help him earlier considering he had a fit about Denny. I wonder if Denny was okay? He seemed pretty pissed earlier. I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts by a tanned hand waving in front of my eyes.

"Earth to Chelsea. Are you there?" He grinned childishly.

I laughed at the cuteness of the face he pulled. He could be so goofy.

"I was, uh… wondering" I watched as he went to scratch the back of his neck, his nervous habit. "do you want to, maybe, come fishing with me or just spend some time tomorrow with me?"

"Sure I'd love to" I smiled. Lana would kill me right now if she knew.

"N not as a da daatee, just as friends." He stuttered, his face blushing madly.

"Okay, I'll meet you on the beach tomorrow. I'll need to do my farm work first though"

He nodded, "Meet me at 11, that'll be enough time right?"

"Sure thing Denny" I flashed him a smile before being pulled into a smothering hug.

"See you tomorrow." He shouted, "Bring your fishing rod, okay!"

I don't know how I was going to tell the others, I guess it didn't matter as Denny and I were and will always be friends. I shrugged my shoulders slightly at the thought before walking home. Tomorrow would be interesting…

**A/N: Well, there's the 12****th**** chapter. It won't be too long before I can start introducing Mark - finally. I hope you guys are enjoying the story, thanks for reading! **


	13. A 'date' with a fisherman

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

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_**Denny's P.O.V**_

The weather was good today so I went out fishing just like always. I bobbed up and down with every wave that passed by my boat. The sea felt empty, nothing was swimming around and I hadn't caught anything yet. Maybe I could try again later with Chelsea; that would give me a better opportunity to get to know her. I stretched out in my boat enjoying the rays heating up my skin; its days like this that make me want to go swimming. I checked the time, half 10 already, better start heading towards shore. The waters were relatively calm today so that was a simple task. I pulled the little boat up the sand until it was resting outside my house before running down to the dock and waiting there. I sat facing the beach waiting for Chelsea. Man did I have a crush on her. She was one of the prettiest girls on the island and was so kind and considerate to people. The fact that she liked fishing made her even hotter but that was a different thing altogether. I watched as a flurry of brown hair and a flash of red made their way to me from across the beach. She had a grin plastered on her face, she looked so happy. It was typical of her to manage to trip over her feet. I knew she wouldn't be hurt but I ran over to her anyway, helping her up.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concern filling in my voice.

She looked to the floor sheepishly before saying "I'm fine, there's been worse right?"

I felt a stupid grin spread across my face. We sat down on the dock with our fishing rods in hand making light conversation.

"So, did you see the new guy this morning?" she asked, her deep blue eyes gazing up at me.

"New guy? Nope, I took off on the sea pretty early this morning. What's he like?"

"Well, secretly he looks about 12 but he announced he was 22, older than me. He wears a royal purple top hat to make him seem taller with a matching purple coat. Oh, he said something about being some sort of gourmet chef."

I laughed at the description. Great, what if he wants Chelsea, I don't want anyone else to like her because I like her and they would end up with her instead. I never stand a chance.

"Anyway, Nat's already claimed dibs on him as Julia has Elliot and Lana has…" she stopped what she was staying and stared at me for a little, her eyes studying me as if to look for an answer to something.

"Do you like Lana?" she asked, biting her lip slightly.

"As a friend, yeah. We've been fishing a couple of times and she's a great pal but she can be too much at times, y'know?"

I watched her pout a little. "Oh… everyone was expecting you and Lana to end up as a couple because you're both fish maniacs. It's weird that you're not interested in her." She stopped before adding, "Wait… who are you interested in?" I stared into her eyes slightly watching glimmers of curiosity dance through them like a flickering flame.

"Me? Well, uh… I can't tell you. That's secretive information." I winked, trying to be a flirt and failing. "Besides, you might tell your girls and then everyone would know. Who do you like?"

"I don't like anyone. Besides I wouldn't know what to do if I did, I've never been in a relationship before and I can struggle to show emotion and stuff. No one would like me anyway, everyone else on the island is gorgeous and then there's me just out of place and kinda unwanted."

It shocked me to learn she'd never been in a relationship before, I know girls like her who fight the boys off them. I hated the way she thought of herself too, I guess she can judge herself however she likes too though.

"You are not unwanted." I growled at her viciously. I grabbed her hand and switched my position so I faced her directly, "Don't ever think that okay? Everyone likes you, you will never be unwanted." For good measures I added: "You're right, you're not gorgeous like the other girls, you're beautiful and anybody would be glad to have you. You know your eyes are the prettiest things I've seen; the deep blue is so much nicer than any ocean I've ever been fishing on. If your eyes were the sea then only the best fish would be found there." I froze after speaking. Did I really just say all that out loud? I watched as she burst out laughing, a slight blush appearing across her cheeks. She was just too adorable.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

What the hell. That was weird. Did he just compare my eyes to a friggen ocean? That's kinda cute I guess and nobody's ever called me beautiful before. It felt weird hearing the words being used towards me. I let my laugh slip out to break the silence consuming me. I noticed our hands clasped together and quickly pulled away, blushing madly. This was too weird.

I stayed on the dock watching him as he walked away. 'I wonder where he's going…?' my eyes followed him, clearly intrigued as to what he was doing. My eyes widened as he dragged a wooden boat across the beach… 'Nope, not happening' I thought to myself, dreading the next half an hour where I knew a great deal of convincing and coaxing would take place. He waved me over to him before he started wading through the sea.

"I know its supposedly bad luck to bring a woman on a boat, but I thought this would be fun, right?" he grinned at me.

Crap… what was I supposed to say? I didn't want to upset him but I don't trust the sea. I'd never had swimming lessons either; I had refused so I couldn't swim. 'I could drown again if I get into the boat…' I thought to myself.

"Here, I'll help you on okay."

I ignored my protests and with a worried face clambered into the boat, desperately holding onto the sides for dear life. The further we came away from the shore the more nervous I became. The boat bobbed up and down with the waves and the boat tipped slightly. Oh god…

"Chels are you okay?" Denny asked anxiously, "You don't look too good?"

"I'm okay." I mumbled although he could clearly tell I wasn't. I glanced around nervously, noticing Vaughn pace up and down the dock glaring at Denny and I. My palms had become incredibly sweaty and I loosened my grip against the sides.

One minute I was staring at Vaughn, probably waiting for his ship as it was Thursday, the next I was fully submerged in the sea coughing and spluttering as I was dragged further and further down until I hit the smooth bottom of the sand. It was like a bed made just for me. It was weird to think this was the second time I had drowned; only the first time I was resuscitated. I stopped struggling for air and just closed my eyes. It was almost relaxing to drown; the water washes away the fears of death and replaces everything with happy thoughts. Event flashed through my mind while I lay there motionless on the sea floor. I breathed out the remaining air stored in my lungs and dizziness filled me… i didn't want to fight drowning again so i just lay still, letting the blackness wash through me.

**_Vaughn's P.O.V_**

I paced up and down the dock knowing I was really early. It was only 3 and my ship didn't come until 11 but I couldn't wait to leave this hell hole. I'd tried everything to try and pass the time but nothing worked, time was being ridiculously slow. As I paced back and forth I noticed a small boat a little way away. Denny never normally went fishing so it struck me as unusual. I squinted a little and could clearly see two bandannas, one red one purple. Since when did he like Chelsea? I stood still for a bit watching them, as far as I could tell Chelsea's facial expressions represented how much she hated being there right now. The boat swayed for a second and Chelsea dropped her grip, tumbling openly into the waves. Denny sat there helplessly staring into the water. He's such an idiot at times. I waited for a split second to see if Chelsea would come back up but she never did, nor did Denny go in after her. He stayed put; obviously in shock. I rolled my eyes a little before throwing my hat on the dock and stripping down into just my trousers and socks. I dived into the warm water and pushed my way through the waves, ignoring their attempts to lure me down. It took me about five minutes to reach the boat and another five trying to find her. She was lying buried in the sand, her hair whipping crazily around her. Her eyes were shut and she looked so peaceful. I dragged her up to the surface and secured her onto my back before quickly swimming to the shore hoping my efforts would be enough to save her.

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**A/N: ;) I didn't know where this was going at first and I just decided to write and see where it took me; I ended up here, but that's okay because I sort of like where it went. Part of the next chapter's a little cringey haha, I'm sure you guys could probably guess what's going to happen next. See you guys at the next update, which should be either tomorrow or today depending on how nice im feeling. Thanks for reading! **


	14. Split personalities

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

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_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

Denny was already on the beach when I ran up to greet him. I threw Chelsea onto the sand and pressed my ear against her chest looking for some sort of heartbeat. There was one but it was faint.

"One of us has to give her mouth to mouth." I rushed.

I looked him up and down, surprised at the shakiness in his voice: "I… I can't."

"Ugh, fine." I grumbled.

I quickly went through the instructions that I'd previously learnt: ensure there's a clear airway, tilt back head and pull open the jaw. Pinch nostrils close and breathe into person. Right, this couldn't be more awkward. I followed the steps I had just gone over, pressing my mouth tightly over hers and breathing into her twice. I waited briefly to see if her chest would rise – it didn't, before breathing into her again a couple more times. I felt a slight sense of achievement when her body finally cooperated with me and her chest began to rise and fall.

"Bloody finally." I muttered loudly.

I was about to give her one last mouth to mouth to make sure she was definitely breathing but her eyes fluttered open, revealing a very panicked, startled and worried glaze concealing the blue underneath. I jumped up, and quickly helped Chelsea to sit up before giving the girl some space as she coughed the water she'd swallowed up.

**_Chelsea's P.O.V_**

This was the second time I almost died but hadn't; I felt like I'd cheated death.

I felt someone's mouth clamped down on mine, offering me their breath and confusion swept through me. I fluttered open my eyes to see bright purple orbs staring into mine. No fucking way was this happening right now. A wave of hysteria flowed through me, I just wanted to burst into laughter but I forced myself not to, focusing on the need to bring up all the water I'd gotten stuck in my lungs. I felt strong hands help me sit up before I coughed my heart out.

Both of the boys looked so sympathetic towards me. It's not like this is serious; it's happened before.

"Chels, I'm so sorry. You almost died and it would've been my fault." Denny sobbed, his head placed in his hands.

"Hey, don't worry." I croaked. "It's my fault for not telling you I was afraid of boats. I've almost died from falling out of a boat and drowning before so that's why I'm afraid of them." I shrugged lightly, offering him a small smile. "Seriously, don't blame yourself though okay." I glanced up at Vaughn, suddenly realising he had no shirt on.

"What the hell happened to your clothes cowboy? And why are you all wet?" I questioned, lying myself back into the sand as I did so, exhausted.

He rolled his eyes at me, "Well, the fisherman here." He nodded in Denny's direction, "Was completely frozen by shock. I stood there waiting for a second but he never jumped in. I'm the idiot who saved you. If I wasn't here you'd probably be dead by now." He said bluntly.

I closed my eyes for a bit, listening to them.

"Shit, she's not dead again is she?"

"Nope, she'll be fine. There's no way we can leave her in this condition just lying here… Better take her to Mirabelle's."

I felt careful arms wrap themselves around me before I was completely submerged into darkness for the second time today.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

It had become a habit carrying Chelsea about now, she really was a klutz. I was dreading the commotion in Mirabelle's simply because I knew they'd make such a big fuss of it, like they did with everything. I disliked those two immensely; never in my time at work have I had to stay with people so irritating and fussy like them.

I practically kicked the door down when I got there. The look on their faces when I walked in with Denny trailing behind me was priceless. Mirabelle started panicking and flapping around like some sort of chicken: "We should call the doctor! What should we do! What happened?!"

"Denny will tell you." I replied before walking off into my room. I placed the sleeping girl on the floor before searching for some sort of clothes to give her. I couldn't just leave her as she was or she'd catch a cold, but Julia would worry more about the clothes than Chelsea's health if I made her lend Chelsea some. I yanked a plain black t-shirt from a drawer and quickly took of Chelsea's damp shirts. I blushed at the sight; at least she was wearing a bra. It was typical of someone to burst in.

"D'you think… What the fuck are you doing? If you're taking advantage of her you're some sick fuck." Julia screamed at me, clearly shocked by the scene unravelled in front of her.

I looked at her, my hand tugging at the air searching for my hat to hide my face… I'd left it on the beach. "I'm not taking advantage of her; I'm getting her changed so she doesn't become ill." I growled, very matter of factly.

"You could have asked me or mum to do It." she choked out, tears welling in her eyes.

"You can sort the rest of her out, I have a pair of black tracksuit bottoms in the third drawer, I don't use them so she may as well borrow them even if they don't fit." I replied. "Tell me when you're done and I'll come back in." I sighed lightly before closing my door behind me.

This girl was beginning to grow on me and I hated that. It felt wrong to see her as being pretty; I had never even glanced at other girls before. Ugh, but this girl was different, she was totally hopeless and for once actually tried to make an effort with me – nobody's ever done that before. Don't get me wrong I like being antisocial so creeps don't speak to me but I do have to admit that sometimes even I get lonely at times. Not that anyone needs to know that.

"Vaughn, I'm done." Julia shouted.

I walked back into the room and stared at her for a couple of seconds. "You can go now."

She shook her head and just sat there, bawling her eyes out. "Will… she be o o okay?" she moaned in between sobs.

I nodded my head slightly before picked up the girl and placing her on my bed; tucking the duvet around her. Mirabelle stormed in pouring medicine down Chelsea's throat. "You can look after her until the shop closes okay?" she told me.

"Fine." I sighed. I did still have ages until my ship arrived considering it was only 4. I jogged down to the beach collecting the items I'd left behind; including my hat before returning to the room and sitting in the chair Mirabelle had brought from the kitchen. It didn't surprise me to see that nearly the whole goddess damned island was pouring into the front room.

Now I wait…

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I lifted my heavy eyelids to find blurred images surrounding me. I squeezed me eyes shut tight before blinking a couple more times allowing my eyes to focus. I had no idea where I was; the room around me was painted black, everything was black except for the deeply coloured wooden furniture. I tried to sit up but my limbs wouldn't allow me to move so I had to slowly tilt me head in order to catch a glimpse of the person sat next to me. I let my eyes focus on it before widening in shock. I was in Vaughn's room?

"Vaughn?" I barely whispered softly, "What am I doing here?"

I watched as he slowly registered my words and opened his mouth open and shut like he was speaking to me. Why couldn't I hear him? I closed my eyes again and let my body continue its dream like state.

The event had brought all the memories flooding back and this time when I awoke, Claire's bitchy and almost cold hearted personality filled me. I looked around the room again and felt totally pissed by the presence of the girls and Vaughn. This time I sat up fine and was slightly shocked to say the least upon discovering different clothes on me. I listened as everyone gushed in to ask if I was okay; naturally I ignored them all and just gave a slight nod when it was needed. I found it sweet that Lana and Denny had been comforting each other thought and a slight smile twisted at the edge of my mouth when they walked off hand in hand together.

It took about 5 boring minutes for everyone to wish me well and hope I was okay- probably all lies, before I had time to myself. I rolled my eyes before turning myself sideways and placing my feet on the cool wooden floor. I shakily stood up and attempted to march my way through the living room to the front door. A person blocked my way out though. I momentarily screamed inside before pulling myself together.

"Where d'you think you're going?" a voice asked viciously.

"Home. I don't need babying I'm not two you know." I snarled back.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave because you're incapable of looking after yourself right now, okay?"

"Move out of the fucking way or so help me. I don't need this shit right now, I need to go home and sort things out." I screamed.

A cold hand found itself wiping across my cheek. Who the hell had just slapped me? I turned round to see Natalie glaring at me.

"You listen to me. You're not going anywhere okay, so stop acting like a bitch and do as you're told, you got that." She snarled.

I knew it would be wrong to argue back so I just nodded and slumped to the floor, unwilling to move. They all tried talking to me but I stayed stubborn and ignored everything.

"Maybe we should give her some space?" Julia cried, pulling Vaughn and Natalie into the lounge.

I waited until they'd settled before tip-toeing to the door. I opened it quickly and pulled it closed so to not make a sound once I'd exited. I bolted, ignoring my fatigued body's protests, until I had reached the barn. I sank down into the warm fodder enjoying the smell it gave off. Why didn't people understand that I didn't like being surrounded by people all the time? I gave a small sigh knowing they'd probably be looking for me by now. 'Why were they making such a big deal out of this, it's not like I don't know what I'm going through. The people on this island are all too damn happy all the time and they get too concerned over the slightest things.' I thought sadly.

Magic mooed loudly at me.

"Hey girl, are you okay?"

She plonked herself down in the birthing pen, frustrated that she couldn't come over to me. I got up and settled myself behind her. I felt a warm, damp nose nudge against me before placing her head in my lap. I placed my head on top of hers and closed my eyes, enjoying the silence.

The silence was shattered too soon by a southern twang, "Chelsea? Are you in here?"

I rolled my eyes a little behind the closed lids before announcing that I was in here.

"Why did you run away? Now people are even more panicky because Julia can't keep her mouth shut. "

"I just wanted to be left alone. People don't understand that here."

I peeked past Magic to watch the figure walk across the barn, sitting down next to me. I caught his gaze, both of us staring awkwardly at each other for a brief minute. I quickly looked away, embarrassed, avoiding all eye contact.

"You do need to rest though, and you won't be allowed to work tomorrow. Natalie and Elliot are sorting out your crops whilst Julia tends to your cow."

"Brilliant." I sighed.

He stood up and offered me his hand, which I gladly took, before leaving.

"Hey, wait." I called after him. I waited until he had stopped before speaking again. "I just wanted to say thank you. I'm sorry I didn't say it before but thanks for saving me, and for uh, giving me your clothes and your bed and well just thanks." I smiled a little before following him back to Mirabelle's.

Food was shoved inside of me along with plenty of hot milk and I was quickly placed back in Vaughn's room despite my protests. I soon fell into a deep sleep full of empty dreams.

I was surprised to see three pairs of eyes peering over at me when I woke up the next morning.

"Morning sleepyhead." Lana smiled happily.

I groaned a little, "What time is it?"

"11, and don't worry because everything's been taken care of. We're having a girly day now, just the four of us!" Julia grinned.

I felt a string of groans follow. "Hey, Jules? How did I even get changed into these?" I asked curiously.

A fit of giggles erupted from her mouth before she spoke. "Well, Vaughn started getting you changed, that's how you got the top on and I did the rest."

My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before a red blush formed on my cheeks. "You mean, he saw my bra and stuff?"

'Absolutely brilliant.' I groaned to myself.

"We all decided that we wanted to know what happened yesterday. That's if it wasn't too traumatic for you." Lana squeaked out.

I knew she'd be a little jealous if I told her about the boat trip with Denny but I didn't really care to be honest.

"Okay, soo, I promised Denny that we'd spend the day together doing stuff so I went to meet him at the beach."

"You went on a date with Denny? That's not fair!" Lana interrupted.

"If Chels is telling a story you can't just butt in." Nat added.

I gave Nat a small smile of appreciation before continuing. "It wasn't a date, we are just friends." I added, momentarily pausing to stare at Lana, letting it sink in.

"So we spent most of the time sitting on the dock talking until he decided to pull his boat out. I'm terrified of boats and protested at first but he encouraged me to go in so I did. Basically I tumbled off the boat into the water and because I can't swim I started drowning. Denny stayed frozen in the boat whilst Vaughn saved me. I woke up on the beach to discover Vaughn giving me mouth to mouth and then I ended up here."

"Vaughn gave you mouth to mouth?" the girls cried out together before bursting into laughter.

"It's not that funny? Besides if he hadn't I wouldn't be here." I finished, feeling like an idiot for mentioning anything. I was glad when the topic quickly changed.

"So the fireworks festival is next Wednesday, do you girls think you'll go with anyone?" Julia asked excitedly.

Lana was the first to answer: "Well I'm definitely asking Denny but whether or not he says yes is a different matter. If I have no one to go with then I won't bother." She sighed dramatically. "What about you Nat?"

"Well, maybe I'll ask Pierre because although he only came yesterday I really like him. I never like anyone normally." There was a hint of, almost, romance hinted in her voice.

Each of us turned to Julia waiting for her answer, "I'm going with Elliot. We're actually dating already now." she blushed, "Who do you think you'll go with Chels?"

"Me? No one, anyway everyone on the island has a romantic interest so there's no one left to go with. I probably won't go anyway, fireworks aren't romantic and they're actually really boring."

Julia winked at me before saying: "You could go with Vaughn, he'll be here."

"I'd rather just stay at home and sit in my barn, thanks." I muttered.

The conversation went on forever until we were made to eat by Mirabelle. Julia walked me home and gave me my cleaned clothes before leaving.

It sounds silly but I'd actually missed working today, I couldn't wait for tomorrow when I could go out on the fields again. I clambered into bed and as soon as my head hit the pillow I drifted into a deep sleep, ready for my day of work tomorrow.

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**A/N: Here is the promised update for today. Oh, thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows, it's really inspirational to read that you guys are enjoying this so far and it's encouraging knowing that people want to read more. You guys are the best. **

**I like this chapter because Vaughn's all hero like saving her; I'm sorry if he appears to be out of character, I got a little carried away ;D. This was the lamest ending but I couldn't think of another way to end it, so sorry about that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading guys! Oh I've decided that two A/N were too much so I'm only doing one now, unless I find something important worth mentioning, which is okay because you probably don't read this bit anyway. **


	15. Playfights

**Disclaimer: I don't own harvest moon**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V:**_

It had been almost a week since the 'accident' and since then Denny and I have become pretty close. In fact scrap that we're almost inseparable. He felt really guilty about the whole thing and so decided to try and make it up to me; much to my annoyance. Everyday he's been and helped me tend my farm and then we'd hang out. He was like a brother to me, an over obsessive guy who was really trying hard to make amends with me. Lana refuses to speak with me and claims I breeched the whole chicks before dick friendship ruled she had come up with despite the fact that nothing was or would ever happen between me and Denny if I could help it.

I groaned as my alarm buzzed crazily on the side. I glanced at it, 6:30 Am Tues, before throwing it on the floor and rolling back over, shutting my eyes.

"Maybe I can just have 10 more minutes sleep." I mumbled to myself lazily, snuggling back in the duvet.

"Chels? Are you in there?" Someone asked pounding at the door.

Maybe if I pretend to be asleep they'll leave me alone. I lay still trying to fulfil this act. I moaned inwardly as the door creaked open and footsteps made their way over to me. Someone jumped on top of me, pushing all the air out of my lungs.

"Owh, get off." I moaned before moving my hidden head from the duvet to peer up. Chocolate brown eyes met mine making a slight smile tug at my lips.

"Den." I sighed, "What are you doing here?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I've been here nearly every day this week." He smirked.

I felt him stretch out, his whole body weight spread over me- squashing me. I blushed at the thought, knowing there was only a thin duvet stopping us being pressed against one another.

"Mkay." I mumbled, closing my eyes a little.

Rough, chapped lips pressed gently against mine, they stayed there for a moment before my eyes widened in shock and I pulled away.

"What are you doing?" I blushed, feeling totally disgusted considering he's like my brother.

His face went bright red, and he began stuttering, "s..sorry… n.. no nothing."

I laughed a little watching the fisherman before trying to sit up.

"Gotta go do farm work. Get off me please" I mumbled, breathlessly.

"Fine." He huffed, rolling off the bed and onto the floor.

I didn't bother with breakfast; I just shoved my clothes on and started watering and harvesting my crops. I jumped slightly, stifling a scream when long arms made their way around my waist. I freaked a little upon hearing Denny's voice smooth in my ear.

"Chels, it's only me."

His face flushed red as I turned to face him, a smile dancing across my lips. He could be such a creep at times.

"Stop creeping up on me" I moaned.

He chuckled a little before speaking. "Actuallly,I had something I wanted to…uh, ask you." He nervously stated. I watched as he rubbed the back of his neck a little before continuing, "Uh, actually, it doesn't matter. I've gotta go, see ya." I laughed to myself as I watched him run across the field to the entrance.

"He's so weird at times." I muttered aloud to myself.

Since my farm work was done I decided to walk around town. Somehow my feet had managed to drag me up to the mountain. I sat down on the rough jagged rocks, peering over the edge. I like it here, nobody ever bothered to come up here so it was always peaceful and the whole place was so relaxing and well obviously the view was breath taking.

I stayed there a while, feeling the breeze brush against my skin bitterly. I was surprised to see the moon rising when I glance up at the sky so I quickly left. I climbed the windy path up to my ranch. I was a little shocked to see a figure in my house. I knew who it was… Denny

I gave him a massive grin before he bundled over to me and hugged me tightly.

"I'm cooking you dinner." He stated, "I know you didn't eat breakfast this morning, and I figured you wouldn't eat lunch so I decided to make you something." He grinned his big wide smile at me before pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

As if on que my stomach let off the sound of a dying whale. "Hey, I have no complaints on you cooking dinner. It better be good though." I smiled. "What are you cooking?" I asked inquisitively.

"A surprise." He mumbled, lost in what he was doing.

I tried to peer over and watch but he pushed me away. "Don't get in the way, it's a surprise so go sit down."

I dragged my feet over to the table and plopped down on the chair, a little disappointed, but glad that I didn't have to cook. "Hey, if you're cooking, you can wash up too." I shouted, winking when he gave me that 'no I don't think so' look.

"Hey, that's only fair. If you made the mess, you have to clean it." I said, a hint of sarcasm nestled in my tone.

"Here." He purred, freakishly like a cat, and handed me a fishy looking dish.

I almost burst into laughter when he brought the dish out. Of course it would be fish. Sashimi to be exact. I stared at the little pieces of fish for a second before shoving them into my mouth. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until I'd started eating. I finished all too soon though.

"Thanks Denny, that was really great." I exclaimed, totally satisfied with the food.

"S'no problem Chels."

I sat on the sofa with a smug look spread across my face as he started washing up the plates. Once he finished we ended up watching some horror film – Paranormal activity, where Denny got totally scared and quivered behind me, which was a hilarious sight to see considering he normally puts on a tough face.

"Awh, Den, you're so cute when you're scared." I teasingly said, poking him playfully in the arm.

"Shut it. I wasn't scared, it was just a little jumpy." He muttered, a pink flush camouflaging itself amongst his pale brown skin.

"Awh, lickle Denny was scared." I cooed mockingly, pulling at his cheeks a little.

"Chels, shut up." He mumbled quietly.

"Make me." I laughed.

We fell to the floor in a heap. I started screaming in protest as he began tickling me.

"Stooopppp." I screeched, barely able to contain my laughter.

"Neveer." He bellowed, his fingers tickling my sides.

I lay there laughing silently, almost breathless with tears trickling out of my eyes.

Just as I began catching my breath a little, Denny pressed his lips against mine for the second time today. Completely lost in the moment, I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him closer. Without hesitating I allowed my lips to move in time with his, sending a small shiver down my spine. His rough, chapped lips tasted like fish, which was gross yet unsurprising considering the circumstances. His hand sneaked its way into my hair whilst the other wrapped itself protectively around my waist. I swear I heard him groan a little. I smiled slightly, enjoying the whole new sensation I'd missed out on for so long.

It was Denny who pulled away first. His eyes stared into mine for a while, frustration glimmering through them.

"Sorry Chels, I had to pull away before I did something stupid." He growled at me, his eyes searching mine hungrily.

A slight tinge of regret dwindled inside me but I quickly dismissed it.

"Wow, your eyes are like a mystery to me, like an ocean puzzle with missing pieces." Denny exclaimed happily.

I grinned lazily, pushing him off me. Yawning, I stretched out, laughing at the face Denny pulled.

I went and sat back down next to him, fully taken by surprise when he wrestled me down to the floor.

"AHH, stop Den." I laughed, tossing and turning trying to wriggle out from underneath him. I managed to flip and straddle him in two quick moves, so it was now me who sat over him. My hair was like a thin brown curtain tickling at his face.

I moved my face closer to his and grinned a little before whispering, "I win." A spark of playfulness glistening in my eyes.

He wrapped his arms around my waist before flipping me over and standing up, holding out a hand for me too.

"I best be off now." He grinned before pressing his lips into mine one last time.

"Bye Chels, sleep well. I know I will." He winked at me before leaving.

I let my head hit the pillow, my thoughts lingering around the scene that had developed earlier. It surprised me to say the least, but I quickly shrugged it off and allowed myself to sleep.

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**A/N: ;) Gotta love a bit of romance. Maybe this was too soon, but it was cute all the same. Woo to the double update. Anywho, don't worry Velsea fans, Vaughns time will come; sooner than expected ;P**


	16. Fireworks

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I woke up earlier than my alarm this morning which was a first. I wiped my eyes before splashing cool water over my face, letting loose droplets drip to the floor. Yesterday's event swirled dangerously in my head, making me dread seeing Denny today. I quickly decided it would be best to avoid him when I glanced at the calendar. My face dropped a little as I took in the date.

"Ugh," I groaned, "Wednesday… fireworks night." I rolled my eyes a little. I hated fireworks with a passion. When I was little Mark, Mum, Dad and I always use to gather up on the beach in Forget-me-not Valley. Whilst everyone stood mesmerised by the brightly coloured flashes I'd stand there shivering and shaking, jumping with every explosion. It was like torture and so I was dreading tonight.

I got on with my farm work hurriedly, paranoid about being disturbed by Denny. I was just about to exit my barn when I heard someone banging down my front door. I froze. The one person I didn't want to see, brilliant. I went and hid behind Magic for a while until I felt it safe to go out. Just as I stood up a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Hey Chels." He grinned.

Oh man, that smile was infectious; I felt my mouth grinning back.

"Hey Den." I said emotionlessly.

"I have a question for you."

I nodded a little as if to say 'go on'.

He pushed his hand slightly through the curls that weren't hidden, "Well, you know how tonight is the fireworks festival?"

I didn't like where this was going, I bit my lip a little and nodded again.

"I was wondering if you would like to go with me. As in like a date?" He blushed a little.

Oh goddess. "Uh, I'd love to but I already have plans." I said quietly, watching his face drop down in disappointment.

"I made plans a little while ago, sorry." I muttered.

Just as he was about to leave an idea rushed into my head, "Oh, wait a second Denny." I shouted.

"You should ask Lana to go with you, she'd like that a lot." I smiled, watching the colour come rushing back to his face. "You know she likes you… a lot, so it would make her really bloody happy."

"M'kay, cheers Chels. You'll still be there though right?" he asked quickly, strolling out the door.

I nodded a little, watching him leave before running down to Julia's; she'd know what to do, she always did.

"Jules…" I puffed, breathlessly, looking around the shop for her.

Her head peaked out from behind the divider. "What can I do for you?" she asked excitedly.

"I need some help. Denny asked me to the fireworks tonight but I refused telling him I already had plans. I made him ask Lana but he looked really depressed when I refused and it's not like I can't turn up because then I'd feel bad for hurting his feelings." I rushed over the problem, I knew better than to tell Julia about yesterday; it would be half way around the island by the time I'd leave. She just likes gossiping too much.

"Well…" she said, pondering over her thoughts for a minute. "Everyone else on the island is taken, Nat asked Pierre and he agreed, I'm going with Elliot and obviously Denny's going with Lana." She pursed her lips together for a slight second. "Oh, I know." She cried. "Vaughn."

She practically shouted his name and smiled at the figure who stumbled out from the corridor.

"What?" he asked, scowling.

"You're going to the fireworks tonight, right?"

"What's it to you?" he asked, suspicion lying heavily in his voice.

"Weel, you have someone to go with now, so you don't look like a larry." She grinned, giving me a small nudge.

I rolled my eyes a little, "Seeing as we're 'friends'" I emphasised over the word friends, using my fingers to make quote marks, "and neither one of us has anyone to go with, go with me, please?" I pulled on puppy dog eyes in the hope that maybe he'd say yes.

He sighed, "Fine, meet me by the bridge to the meadow at 6."

I nodded, "It's not like fireworks are romantic anyway so it doesn't make any difference right?" I asked.

They both just looked at me like I was insane before I got dragged into Julia's room.

"I'm making all the girls look pretty tonight, so you get a makeover too, okay?" She stated.

I groaned and was about to protest when Lana and Natalie strolled in.

"Hey guys." I muttered.

"Hi." They said in unison.

I smiled; for once Lana wasn't throwing daggers at me.

"Come on then." Jules said way too enthusiastically, dragging us all in one by one to sort out our hair and makeup. She'd use any excuse to give people a makeover.

"Jules, I'm not even going on a date." I sighed, fed up of being prodded and poked, my face heavily cemented in makeup.

"Well, you can't look like the odd one out, silly." She replied, pursing her lips a little.

I stared at the mirror; shocked to see the girl staring back at me. The bandana was gone – luckily my roots weren't bad, although I did get some odd looks – and its place were almost natural looking curls coated heavily in hairspray. My face was totally different, with heavy eyeliner and mascara lining my eyes, alongside smoky eye shadow which made my eyes seem particularly brighter than before. The foundation matched my skin perfectly; there was no dreaded orange line and a blood red lipstick lined my lips perfectly. I could have passed as a hooker it looked that ridiculous; but who was I to argue with what Julia wanted.

"Wait, wait, wait, you're not allowed to see the others yet until I'm finished." Julia squealed, obviously happy with the mess she'd created on my face.

She handed me a knee length, strapless black dress, which clung to my figure in all the right ways along with some black pumps.

"Isn't this a bit over the top?" I asked, slightly nervous.

She shook her head slowly and pulled me out towards the others before running back to get herself changed. Woah what the hell happened to them.

Lana's honey blonde hair was braided into a French plait with little bows tied within it. She wore a bottle green coloured dress, similar to that of the one she usually wore just a little more sophisticated. She was lucky, her makeup wasn't caked on; it only made her look even more stunning. She had a tiny amount of blush which added colour into her cheeks with eyeliner and mascara and a hint of cream eye shadow and clear gloss.

Natalie on the other hand looked very uncomfortable. Her hair had been straightened with her usual bow added. She had been forced into a dress- a shimmery white one- that came down to her knees. Her makeup was very minimalistic with only mascara and gloss and blush on her cheeks.

I couldn't help but burst into laughter. "We're definitely over-dressed."

Natalie looked at me and agreed.

"I feel ridiculous. At least Julia's happy?"

On that note, she walked out of her room. She looked, well, different. Her long hair was out of its usual ponytail, straightened and kept to one side. She wore an extremely low cut blue dress that was also extremely short. Her face was smothered in makeup; Foundation, powder, mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, lipstick, a hell of a lot of eye shadow, blush, and gloss over the top of her lipstick. She didn't look bad though, she just looked better when she wore less makeup.

Just as we left, Julia shouted at us all, "Make sure you all come back here at 11 okay, I need to hear all the details that I missed. You can stay round if you want." She grinned.

We all nodded in agreement before leaving. We walked over to the meadow once we were all ready to leave; luckily for us as it was summer it was unnaturally warm outside. They chatted excitedly, looking forward to seeing their dates whilst I trailed behind silently. I was dreading this. I anxiously waved goodbye as they walked over to the field. I sighed to myself before sitting on the floor; bored.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

Okay, so I was a little late. I lost track of the time whilst strolling in the forest; Julia kicked me out of the house to do some stupid 'make over'. I walked into east town and scanned the area near the bridge. I couldn't see her so I went and stood by the bridge.

"Hey Vaughn." I voice said behind me.

I jumped a little before turning round. My eyes locked onto Chelsea, consuming the change in look. Julia must have gotten her ready because I've never seen her look like this before. She looked stunning. I eyed the dress she was wearing up and down and tugged at my hat a little, she knew this wasn't a date right?

"Before you say anything, this was all Julia, not me. I know it's over the top and I look like a hooker." She shrugged a little before smiling. "Shall we go then?"

I smirked a little at the thought of Julia attacking Chelsea whilst following behind.

**_Chelsea's P.O.V_**

I made sure we stood right at the back of the field, away from people and well, the fireworks. I know the sound will still be loud, but maybe it'll be a little quieter. I sighed to myself.

"D'you like fireworks Vaughn?" I asked in an attempt to make some conversation.

"They're okay I guess." He grunted.

I eyed up the crowd a little, looking at who had turned up.

"Oh, goddess, hide me or talk to me or something."

"What… why?"

"Hey Chels, you look really uh, beautiful tonight." Denny said, blushing slightly.

"Too late" I muttered under my breath, feeling uncomfortable under Denny's wandering eyes.

"Where's Lana?" I asked innocently.

"Oh I left her with Natalie to come and say hello. The others wanted you to come join us." He said, almost dragging me away.

I yanked Vaughn's hand and pulled him with me, I wasn't getting suckered into this alone.

I stood there awkwardly, surrounded by couples. I laughed lightly at the way Elliot was holding Julia's hand. Nat and Pierre looked pretty comfortable with each other too which was cute.

The fireworks started rocketing into the sky; bursting into colours. Whilst the crowd all cheered and ohh'd at the display I stood there shaking, edging closer and closer to Vaughn. I grabbed his hand with my sweaty one and squeezed it tightly with every bang that proceeded. I felt his body stiffen a little, but I dismissed it, too frightened to care.

"Chelsea are you okay?" he whispered.

I shook my head a little before cowering into him, my hands quickly covering my ears.

"We can leave if you want?" he asked.

I grabbed his hand and snuck out of the field, relieved. We ended up at the diner in the end.

"Thanks for leaving we with." I smiled.

"It was no problem, fireworks aren't really my thing anyway." He reassured me, pulling his hat over his face a little.

"Why'd you always cover your face up?" I asked, interested.

"Because I like the way it hides me."

"Oh, well that's fair enough I guess." I shrugged. "It would be nice to see you without the hat once it a while though." I added.

The fireworks must have finished because everyone from the field crammed themselves into the diner. An awkward silence fell over when Denny, Lana and Julia came and joined our table. I made sure to excuse myself before slipping out the back. I didn't really want to listen to all the firework or couple talk. I slowly started making my way to Julia's when a cold hand was placed on my shoulder.

"You know, girls such as yourself shouldn't walk outside in the dark by themselves. It can get pretty dangerous, especially when they refer to themselves as hookers; anything could happen."

I smirked at the statement, "Oh really?" I sarcastically added, "It's just as well that I have the brave, lifesaving cowboy to walk me home and keep my safe."

He snorted at my answer.

"Well, that was attractive." I finished.

"When you put it like that, maybe I should just let you fend for yourself then, you clearly don't need me." He replied walking off a little quicker.

"Hey, there's something called sarcasm." I shouted after him.

"I know, I chose to ignore it though." He grunted.

"Stop being grumpy and slow down, please?" I asked.

He slowed down and we walked back to Julia's together. As soon as he opened the door, I made myself comfy jumping down on one of the couches.

"D'you want a drink or anything?" He asked.

I nodded and got up to help him. Whilst he concentrated on heating the milk up on the stove, I grabbed his hat and placed it on my head. That action was quickly followed by a scowling face, resulting in me placing his hat back, pouting a little. We plonked down on the same sofa with the hot milk. The hot milk made me think of the milk incident with Denny. The scarred skin had faded a little; nobody had noticed it. I traced my fingers along the scar, taking in every little bump hidden within the smooth tissue.

"How'd you get that?" Vaughn asked, peering over me and watching as I traced parts of the skin on my arm.

I shrugged, "Spilt scalding hot milk over myself, I have several others too. I'm just accident prone I guess."

"Oh right."

He was cut off by the high pitched squeals of the others.

"Elliot actually kissed me, I can't believe it."

"Pierre said he liked me, that's good right?"

"Denny actually asked me, he does like me after all."

I rolled my eyes a little as they eyed Vaughn and I up on the couch.

"Oh sorry, are we disrupting something?" Julia asked suggestively, winking.

"Nope, we were just talking, sorry to disappoint you." I replied blankly.

"Well, you're coming with us now." She said, pulling me up and dragging me into her room.

I was surprised to hear Vaughn chuckle as she did so.

"Did you guys have a good night?" I asked, knowing that everything would come out later anyway. Better get it over and done with now.

"Yeah we did, what happened to you though?" Lana said, raising her eyebrow at me.

"Nothing, the fireworks were boring so we left."

After listening to countless stories of different romantic scenes from the fireworks I was officially bored and prepared to scrub off the cement stuck on my face. I perked up pretty quick at Julia's suggestion though.

"Let play truth or dare!" she announced, "Chelsea, truth or dare?"

I didn't even have to think it through, "Dare." There was no way I was choosing truth, ever.

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**A/N: Because all sleepovers need truth or dare… :3. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, I'm trying to make it interesting so I hope that's succeeding. Thanks for reading, reviews are always appreciated; see you guys at the next update.**


	17. Dare

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

"Okay, I dare you to…" Julia paused for a second, rummaging around in her wardrobe.

"Wear these." She said, handing me a bright red cropped tee with love scrawled all over it and a pair of high waisted, black hot pants.

"Anndd uh, you have to steal Vaughn's hat and keep it for an hour." Julia smirked.

"If you get caught within the time limit by him then you have a forfeit." Nat added.

"Yeah, you'll have to give him a lap dance for five minutes." Lana chipped in.

Well, that's just brilliant isn't it? I wasn't one to back down though so I regretfully agreed. I snatched the clothes out of Julia's grasp and stomped off into the bathroom, turning round to give the girls a glare before closing the door. I yanked my clothes off and kicked them in a corner as I shoved on the clothes. Julia was lucky we were similar sizes or I wouldn't be impressed. The shorts were a lot shorter than my normal ones. My normal shorts came mid length down my thighs where as these ones practically had my butt hanging out; they were super tight too. The top of the shorts sat just below my bellybutton, showing off my delicate piercing and all my scars. There was seven on display in total, although each were pretty faded, you'd have to stare intensely to really notice. I walked back into the room with my clothes in a bundle, chucking them on Julia's floor.

"Hey Chels, you look hot. You should wear clothes like that more often." Julia winked, raising her eyebrow slightly at me whilst the other girls wolf whistled.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I sat on my bed with my back facing the door, pretending to read a book but actually reflecting on life. It would have been impossible to read anyway as Julia's little gang were being way too noisy for me to concentrate on one thing. My eyes widened a little when I heard them wolf whistling, I wonder what that was all about. I shrugged the thought away from my mind and continued sitting in silence. I heard my door creak open but didn't bother to turn round, submerged in my thinking.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I crept into his room and quietly, well as quiet as I could manage anyway, snuck up behind him. I held my breath as I swiftly removed his hat, hopefully without him noticing. I ran into Julia's room with the required object to show them before making a quick exit before I got caught. I knew it wouldn't be long before he noticed so I ran to the front door. I legged it up towards east town, surprised when I managed to make out a dark figure running pretty close behind me. I guess him being tall and having long legs has its advantages then.

"Give me back my hat." Vaughn shouted, only a little way away from me now. I made my way to the meadow before realising I'd cornered myself into a dead end, not that it mattered much because I was pretty much dying from lack of air.

"Shoot." I shouted out, groaning a little as it had only been 10 minutes.

I hunched myself over, trying to catch my breath a little before a figure came flying into me.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I'm guessing this was some sort of dare but it wasn't very well thought through. I caught up to her in no time and quickly came crashing into her. We ended up on top of one another, her totally breathless and I pretty pissed. I pinned her down a little more with my weight, before speaking.

"Give me my hat." I grunted.

"I can't do that, sorry." She replied bitterly.

"Well, why not."

"Just because, besides you didn't even give me a chance; that's not fair." She wailed.

I rolled my eyes a little before snatching it off her and placing it back where it belongs; on my head, before getting up and strolling off back to Julia's.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I grimaced at the thought of having to give him a lap dance. 'Maybe if I don't turn up at Julia's she won't notice.' I thought to myself although quickly dismissed it again. I shamefully trudged my way back to the animal shop, letting the dark hide me. I slammed the door behind me, quickly scolded by Mirabelle before walking into Vaughn's room and plonking myself on the floor. He wasn't even back yet. An instant scowl appeared on his face when he saw me.

"What the hell do you want?" He growled.

"Well, I just came to say sorry for later on."

"Later on?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, you'll see. This is why you should have let me keep your hat." I shrugged before walking into Julia's room.

The girls all burst into laughter as I stepped in.

"He caught you already?" Natalie asked, completely unsurprised.

I nodded, unable to answer. I winced slightly as hands pushed me into Vaughn's room whilst some song that Julia thought was 'sexy' and 'idea for giving a lap dace to' was blurted out from her stereo. I think I gave him the biggest shock because when I started dancing he looked too confused. The expression fixed on his face was actually really cute. Wait… I didn't mean that. I finished dancing once the song was over and left with a very heated, red face. His was just the same.

We stopped playing after one go each, Natalie refused to answer or do anything that was thrown at her and Lana just stated she would only choose truth. What a bunch of killjoys. They decided to huddle up in duvets/sleeping bags and watch some sort of ridiculous lovey dovey chick-flick on the telly. It was such a stereo-typical film; Girl meets guy and dislikes him, has some other potential lover clinging on to her, she gets to know other guy, something drastic happens bringing them closer and then they kiss and fall in love living happily ever after, yuck. It's a shame because that sort of stuff never happens in reality, even if we wanted it to. whilst they ogled and drooled over the topless men on the screen I left; deciding to apologise once again for earlier and perhaps wind a certain cowboy up.

I didn't bother to knock, I just strolled in and sat cross legged on the floor as far from him as possible.

"Sorry about earlier." I admitted. I was sorry; it was too embarrassing.

"It's fine." He smirked.

I chewed the inside of my lip a little whilst speaking. "And sorry for intruding, they're watching some chick-flick so I needed to find a way to keep myself sane."

He chuckled a little, "I don't blame you there. You know, you can sit closer, I won't bite."

I nodded before sitting on the floor opposite to the chair he was in.

"Do you think you could call us friends now?" I asked, kind hoping he'd say yes after everything that's happened involving us.

He obviously though about it a lot because a lot of different expressions passed over his face. "Uh, okay?" he said hesitantly.

"Good, because you've saved me twice now I think, and you know more about me than any other islander so it would be nice to call you my friend at last." I spilled out. "Hey, now that we're officially friends we can hang out right?"

"Uh, hang out?"

"Yeah, you know do something fun together or just talk or whatever, it really doesn't matter."

"Fine."

"Okay, tomorrow then?" I asked.

He nodded a little in reply.

"You can help me with Magic and check her over if you'd like. I know how you have some soft spot for animals." I grinned.

I really was glad he accepted my friendship offer. Okay that sounds totally lame but still, I don't think he has anyone on the island he can really turn to.

"Hey, Chelsea?" he asked, his voice filled with slight curiosity, "Did you ever write to you brother? I think you said you would so I was just wondering, sorry." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I did and I got a reply although I should probably write back soon. oh, I can do that tomorrow when I get some spare time." I smiled.

"Was he alright then?"

"Yeah, he's getting there." I nodded.

We spoke about animals for the rest of the time before I decided to go and join the girls again as he was half asleep and it was getting late. They were totally submerged in the film still so luckily I had gotten away with sneaking out. I curled myself up into the sleeping bag and fell asleep, looking forward to the next day that awaited me.

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**A/N: Another step closer to romance, yay. I apologise for the really rubbish ending but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading, you're the best! Reviews are always appreciated :3, see you at the next update. **


	18. A day with the cowboy

**Might as well add the little Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon. Everyone knows I don't own Harvest Moon so I don't know why I need disclaimers all the time, but hey, better to be safe than sorry right?**

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_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I awoke before everyone else and made my way to the kitchen. I flicked on the kettle and hopped onto the side, staring out the window at the falling rain racing across the glass. It brought back memories of when I was little and I would have little competitions for which droplet would hit the end first. I was so consumed in my day dreaming that I almost screamed when Vaughn appeared from out of nowhere.

"Where'd you come from?" I gasped, shocked.

"My room?" he replied, puzzled.

I hopped off the counter and nodded before turning my back to him. "Coffee?"

"Uh, sure." He spat out, sounding a little strangled.

He made a choked out coughing sound to which I turned around to.

"What's your problem?" I snapped, clearly aggravated by being disturbed from making coffee.

I was surprised to see a now half naked cowboy standing in front of me.

"Put this on." he muttered, averting his eyes from me.

I was completely unaware of what he meant, so quickly took his top upon looking down. I had taken the shorts Julia had given me earlier and so only had a thong and the crop top Julia had lent me.

"Ops." I giggled, trying to make the situation a little less awkward. I shoved the black top over my head, grateful that it came midway down my thigh – goddess this guy was tall.

"Sorry about that, I hadn't realised. Thanks for your top thought, that was sweet." I smiled sweetly whilst handing over his coffee.

"It's fine." He replied, his face flushing a bright red.

"So, what d'you wanna do today?" I asked excitedly.

"Today?" He answered, slightly confused.

"Yeah, you said you would spend the day with me. You can't back out now cowboy because that's not fair!" I said, sticking my bottom lip out a little as I did so.

He pondered over my words for a while before replying. "I guess I did say that, didn't I? Alright then we can do anything, I don't mind."

"Alrighty, you eat breakfast or something and I'll go get changed then we can leave once you're ready." I grinned.

"You're not eating?"

"I don't have time, gotta get out before the girls wake up or I'll be stuck here all day."

He nodded a little before returning to drink his coffee. I downed mine quickly and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I tugged at the back off the top as I walked around the sleeping girls and went back to Julia's room, suddenly self-conscious of my body on show. I got changed slowly before walking back to the kitchen and plonking myself on the counter again.

"At least my crops won't need watering." I murmured to myself.

As soon as the cowboy appeared in the hall fully dressed, I grabbed his hand and proceeded to yank him out the door with me.

"You can come check Magic over if you'd like. It would be nice to get someone who knows what they're talking about to check up on her." I nodded.

"Alright then."

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I listened to her go on about how annoying the girls could be and how she apologises for yesterday's dance as we walked back to her farm. I'd say 'oh you don't need to apologise for it, I liked it.' but that would make me sound like a creep right? I kept my mouth shut and only replied with simple nods and chuckles when necessary instead of making a fool out of myself.

I was pleasantly surprised with the way she acted with her pregnant cow. Gentle, comfort and kindness were all the things a pregnant animal needs from a human and Chelsea gave her cow her all there. I listened as she softly whispered words of reassurance to the animal, telling her how much she loved it and couldn't wait to see the calf. It actually brought a faint smile to my face. It was something missing from farmers nowadays.

"Vaughn were you just smiling?" she asked, tilting her head slightly whilst thinning her eyes.

How did she even see that? I didn't answer, instead I stared to the floor slightly embarrassed. I had a horrible smile, that's why I don't ever smile at people. There were other reasons too but I never want to explain them.

"You were weren't you? Awh, Vaughn can actually smile. That's nice to know." She carried on, slightly sarcastic.

I rolled my eyes before checking over the cow.

"She's in good shape, it looks like the calf will be a healthy one."

"Yay, that's a success, I love my cow so much, I'd hate for her to go through anything traumatic. I doubt I'd be able to cope if anything happened to either of them." She sighed.

I understood what she meant, it's easy to fall in love with animals and not want them to get hurt. Sometimes you can't protect them from everything though, no matter how vulnerable they might be.

We walked out of the barn once Chelsea finished her chores. She directed us to the forest and then to the spring by the abandoned church.

"Huh? There's lights on inside? I don't remember being introduced to anyone new recently." Chelsea said quizzically.

I shook my head slightly, I couldn't remember anyone moving in recently either.

"Let's go check it out?"

Without giving me a chance to speak, my hand was in hers and I was dragged to the entrance. Three knocks later and a plump man in his late 30's appeared with a small brunette who appeared to be about 20, the same age group as the other young people in the island. They introduced themselves to us as Nathan and Alisa. An hour and a half later and we finally escaped from the prying claws of the preachers. The whole conversation stayed on the Harvest Goddess and how great she is at recovering things. Well, she's not good at stopping disasters even if she is looking after us all. Too many people have been damaged mentally and physically on the island and she hasn't cared. They can believe whatever they'd like to though, it's not my place to tell people what's true and what isn't.

We plopped down on the damp floor of the forest, occasionally getting fallen droplets showering us through the leaves.

"I wish I could climb trees." Chelsea sighed, staring wistfully at the wet trees surrounding us.

"Have you never tried?" I asked, feeling like I should keep the conversation going.

"Well yeah… but I'm not allowed to anymore." She replied bitterly.

"Why not?" I asked, slightly puzzled by the previous statement.

"Well, because when I was little climbing trees was my favourite thing and I've broken a few bones because of it. The doctor advised me to not do reckless things anymore otherwise I'd do more permanent damage to my body. After saying that I was heavily monitored as a child/ teen which sucked massively. As soon as I did something I wasn't allowed and was found out I'd always be in serious trouble. Families suck." She said quietly, whilst cradling one hand with the other.

"Oh, right. yeah families do suck." I muttered sourly.

We sat in silence for a while after that. I contemplated starting another conversation but I gave up on the idea.

"Hey, you." She said suddenly, breaking the silence looming over us. "I wanna show you something. Maybe you've seen it before but it's my favourite place on the island, c'mon." she grabbed my hand and raced off to her destination with me in tow behind.

I blinked a little, taking in the surrounding scenery. I hadn't been here before but I wish I'd discovered it sooner because the place was totally isolated and quiet. Chelsea perched on a rock nearby overlooking the mountains edge.

"Careful otherwise you'll end up falling." I sarcastically said.

She snickered a little at my comment before speaking. "I like it here; this is where I can truly think by myself. There are no interruptions or disturbances to worry about. It's just you, the wind and the scenery."

We stayed there a while making small talk before deciding to head back; drenched to the bone. Growling stomached diverted us to the diner where we both sat and ate porridge.

"Why do you like porridge so much Vaughn?" she questioned whilst staring at the half full bowl in front of her.

I had to think about that one. Why did I like it?

I shrugged "Well it was one of the only things I would eat as a child so it stuck I guess."

She nodded before consuming the rest of the porridge.

* * *

It was getting pretty late now and so we made our way to the beach to wait for my boat. I had asked her to go home and had even walked her back like the gentleman I knew I should be but the damn girl was too stubborn and followed me down to the beach like my own personal shadow. We sat upon the soft grains of sand with the gentle sound of the waves crashing against the shore soothing the silence hung about us. I stiffened up a little when she placed her head on my shoulder but quickly relaxed.

"Vaughn?" Chelsea sleepily asked.

"Yeah?" I grunted out.

"Thanks for today. I hope you had as much fun as I did, it's been really nice spending time with someone so different to everyone else on the island. It makes me feel less isolated knowing I'm not alone." She yawned.

"It's been… good." I was cut off then by Denny wandering out of his house heading for us.

"Chelsea…" he called

I rolled my eyes a little. Me and Denny never saw eye to eye ever so we didn't get on well and everyone knew it.

**_Chelsea's P.O.V_**

"It's been… good." He choked out before Denny interrupted him.

He just had to ruin this nice little moment didn't he? I thought Vaughn might have said something sweet to me but now my ears were never going to hear the words.

"Chelsea." Denny called.

I stood up, brushing the sand off of me before making my way over to the tan figure in front of me.

"Thanks for setting me up with Lana the other night but well, it didn't really work out. She's just a good friend, y'know? I actually have feelings for someone else though."

I could feel Vaughn's eyes boring into my back, obviously curious to the scene to the side of him.

"Well… I have feelings for you Chels." He inched himself closer until his body was practically pressed up against mine. "I can't get you out of my head. You're driving me crazy like a fish that refuses to be caught. Extremely frustrating and a challenge but I still want it… you."

His breath tickled my face as his words swam through my mind. he stank highly off alcohol, so I knew that was what was influencing him right now. But still, Denny liked me? Well I guess I kinda knew that much already from the other day, but because I lead him on, maybe he's hoping for something more than friendship…

"I can't get the other day out of my mind either. Its stuck on a loop, playing again and again, teasing me."

I felt his arms wrap around my waist but I was too stunned to move.

"Come back to mine Chels? We can discuss things further there." He grinned before pressing his lips against mine hard.

I cringed slightly and pushed him away. "Denny, this isn't the time or the place for this. I'm not going to go back to yours because you're highly intoxicated and I'm scared that you'll do something to me that you'll end up regretting. I'll see you tomorrow okay."

"No, I'm not leaving without you." He spat at me, wrapping his hands around my wrist and pulling me closer.

"Denny." I whined. "Let go, please."

He gripped my wrists even tighter, glaring at me.

"Denny." I yelped, surprised by the soring pain swept through my wrists. "You're hurting me." I cried, scared. He was stronger than me and definitely stronger than he looked.

"Denny, let go of her." A voice beside me growled.

I glanced up and offered Vaughn a small thank you smile for coming to my rescue.

"But what if I don't wanna?" Denny retaliated.

"She's not a toy." He snarled through gritted teeth. "Now let go off her before I hurt you."

Denny's hands quickly dropped my wrists, but only to try and throw a punch which was quickly caught and returned by Vaughn.

"Now beat it, you've done enough damage for one night."

Denny nodded before scampering off to his shack.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice dripping in concern.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for saving me yet again. You seem to be around whenever I'm in trouble." I laughed shakily, still scared from the events before.

"I'll walk you back before my boat comes. I wouldn't feel safe leaving you here by yourself with that maniac on the loose."

I nodded a little. Cool fingertips traced the thin red marks left behind. I quickly dropped my hands, uncomfortable.

"They'll only bruise over right." I offered a small smile. "No damage done."

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

As I settled down in my bed on the boat I couldn't help but think about early. It pissed me off to know he had hurt her. Hell, I was surprised to see he was capable of being more of a jerk than I already found him to be. At least Chelsea wasn't hurt. If I wasn't there I dread to think what would've happened. But if I wasn't there then she wouldn't have been on the beach, so I can't help but feel partially responsible. I shrugged it off a little. What did he mean about the other day? I want to know what happened.

A new feeling emerged in side of me. One that I could only name as jealousy. Although I couldn't tell you why I was jealous because it wasn't like I had feelings for this girl was it… no Vaughn, don't be so ridiculous. Besides she would never choose a guy like you.

I slowly drifted off, emerged in my thoughts.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I shifted and shuffled myself around in bed but I couldn't fall asleep, no matter how much I wanted to. I gave up in the end and allowed my mind to drift off to other realms. Thoughts filled my head as I lay there. What would've happened if Vaughn was never there? Would I be in danger now? The way Denny had been really scared me and I was definitely thankful for Vaughn. He was like a guardian angel of some description, sent here to look after me. I was only ever in danger when he was here. Maybe that's saying something about us? Who knows… I wonder if Denny will remember anything in the morning.

My mind kept flicking back to Vaughn and the way he had slowly began to speak with me more. For some reason I can't get him out of my head tonight. Maybe I have feelings for him? I doubt it. When was the last time I liked anyone. Besides, someone like him would never go for a girl like me, I wouldn't stand a chance. I drifted off to sleep, my dreams filled with that silver haired, purple eyed cowboy.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

It's been three days since I've been off the island. I can't concentrate properly when working, or doing anything really and its driving me insane. This damn goddess farmer was drowning in my thoughts. From the way she smiled to her completely out of character split personalities, I couldn't help but think of her. It's not that I like her, because, well that can't happen. Even if I did, I promised myself that nothing would happen. This klutz of a farmer needed rescuing all too often though and so I promised myself that if I was ever near when she was in trouble, I'd help. It would be the least I could do right? I fell asleep with the familiar blue eyed, brunette filling every dream.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, it's been a while. A week feels like forever and I promise I'll be updating sooner. I've been preoccupied lately though with finishing my exams and becoming obsessed with that new Animal Crossing game ;). Gah, Denny, you spoil things! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was fun to write ****. Thanks for reading guys; like always, reviews are always appreciated. Wow, I can't believe my story has had over 700 view now ^.^, thank you all so much! I hope you're all enjoying the story/ storyline as much as I enjoy writing it. Well until next update then guys! :3**


	19. Floods

**Disclaimer: I don't own harvest moon.**

* * *

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I glanced out of the windows, disappointed to see big water droplets trickling down. I groaned a little whilst swinging myself up from the sofa. It had been raining continuously since Vaughn had left and was creating a downer on the island. Okay, so he only left two days ago but the whole island was flooding, – the rivers were beginning to overflow, the once soft ground was now waterlogged and thick with mud and those unstable houses were beginning to flood too.

I made a mental note of the work that needs doing today as it was also the end of the season. I grabbed my sickle and ran out the door, being careful as to not fall on the sickle and hurt myself. The, almost warm, rain soaked me all over; there wasn't a part of me that didn't get drenched. I simply shrugged the feeling off, I did like the rain after all… I got to work hacking away at my lifeless tomato plants, swamped in mud, and droopily hanging. It took a lot of work and effort but I managed to hack away and pull up all my tomato and corn crops, ready for the new season tomorrow. It was now 3 in the afternoon so I decided to hack off some grass, intending to dry it and use it as fodder for Magic. Shoot, I hadn't tended to her yet. Leaving my sickle nestled in the grass, I jogged over to the barn.

"Hey there girl, sorry I haven't been here sooner I've been somewhat preoccupied." I cooed apologetically.

She dint bother to turn around and look at me but gave me a loud, probably angry, moo as a sign that she was listening. I chucked a load of food into the feeding area before running a brush through her thick coat. I gave her a gentle pat before returning to my work.

Once I was finally satisfied with my days work I headed off to Natalie's.

"Hey Nat. Wanna come to the diner with me? I'm starving." I shouted as I stepped through the door.

A small pink figure came bounding up to me with a slightly embarrassed face and dragged me out the door.

"Hi Chels!" She exclaimed. "Wanna get Julia too?" she asked questioningly

"Nah, she seemed pretty busy in there with your brother." I giggled.

She rolled her eyes a little at me. "EURGH, don't remind me. It's really gross watching them."

I snorted a little. That really didn't surprise me.

"That was unattractive." Nat laughed, nudging me a little as she opened up the door to the diner.

My eyes searched the room for a second before I decided to step in. I had been avoiding Denny for the past couple of days, uncomfortable with the way things went the other day. I shrugged off my thoughts and plonked myself down at the table before quickly getting up to go order food from Nick.

I plopped down on a chair, probably soaking it.

"So, how are things with you and Pierre?" I asked teasingly.

"We're good." She said coolly.

"So are you guys dating or is it something less than that?" I questioned.

"Uh, something less." She muttered. "What about you Chels? Any boys caught your eye?"

Vaughn instantly popped into my head; but that was my secret, locked away with the rest. I shook my head in denial.

"What about Denny?" she asked, cocking her head to the side slightly, a huge smile plastered across her face.

"What about him?"

"Lanna's going to kill you by the way. All Denny did at the fireworks was talk about you and how pretty you are. She tried to stay calm at the sleepover but as soon as you left she went mental. It was kinda scary to be honest."

'Those two suit each other well then…' I thought to myself, recalling the other night with Denny.

"He really likes you Chels. Maybe you should give him a go? It wouldn't hurt now, would it?" she said seriously.

I just sighed and nodded my head, grateful for the arrival of our food to silence us. Just as we got our food, a familiar purple loving guy walked through the doors.

Seeing my face drop so suddenly, Nat whispered to me. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

It was so unlike her to be concerned or worried.

"Nothing." I lied shakily. Even she saw through my lie, but didn't bother to ask further questions.

I shoved the rest of the food in as quickly as I could, so I could leave sooner.

"I'm leaving, sorry." I whispered at her.

"Alright." She nodded, watching as I shakily made my way to the door.

"Chelsea." A voice shouted.

Upon recognising the voice, my face dropped. Instead of turning around, I carried on to the door, sighing with success when I reached it. I fumbled for the door handle and was just about to open it when warm hands met my cold shoulders. I tried my best to shrug them off at to try leaving but to no avail. He quickly spun me around to face him.

"Chels." He grinned.

Fear raced through my veins as I flinched away from him. He didn't seem to notice though.

"I need to ask you something." He chuckled.

"No." I cried, attempting to flee again. This time I made it out of the door.

The cold evening air spun around my feet, sending a shiver down my spine. It already felt like fall. The cold rain washed over me as I ran away, not quickly enough though.

I was taken down by the fisherman.

"What is your problem?" he asked.

"I don't know, you tell me." I snarled, glaring angrily at him.

"I don't understand…" he trailed off.

"Do you not remember anything that happened on the beach?" I snapped furiously.

Confusion spread across his face. "No?... all I can remember was having too many drinks and then waking up to a swollen, bloody nose."

A slight tinge off relief consumed me. "Okay." I whispered.

"I need a favour."

"What?"

"Well, since the rain's been falling pretty heavily my poor shack hasn't coped well. Gannon's fixing the roof in a couple of days' time but my house is flooding. I was wondering if I could maybe stay at yours?" he asked, desperation floating thick through his voice.

"What about asking Lana? Or the hotel? Or even the inn?" I asked.

"Well, I can't afford to pay. You'd be surprised at how expensive the hotel is, besides living on a fisherman's wage doesn't get you far either. The inn was full and Lana won't talk to me. You were my last choice."

I felt pity towards him. "Okay." I replied, "But whilst you're staying at mine you have to cook. Oh, and no alcohol okay?"

"Thanks Chels, you're the best." He grinned pulling me into a bear hug.

I watched as he walked away, surprised at what I had just agreed to. I think I was going mad to allow him to stay; but well, I hate to see others suffer even if it was him suffering.

I sighed and walked him. as I had spare time, I decided to write a letter to Mark. I hadn't done that in a while.

* * *

_Dear Markie – I know you hated me calling you that and I just feel like annoying you today as I am your younger sister and all. _

_Anyway, I got your response, thanks for writing back. You have no idea how happy I was to know you were still alive. As for the whole parents matter, what do I care? They aren't even my real parents so if they want to act like I'm dead, tell them I couldn't give two fucks; I totally support their small minded idea. So, you said you wanted to visit right? Well my birthdays coming soon and I'd sure as hell like to see you then? Although Winter seems like a long time away. _

_I miss home a bit. Not home, just you. There's some jerk here that won't leave me alone, he scares me a lot but I've let him stay at mine. I'm crazy right? You know as well as I do that I dislike watching people suffer though. When you come over you can put him in his place though, because that's what big brothers do. I hope to see you soon. I miss you Mark._

_Bye for now, your little sister Claire._

_Xoxox_

I shoved the letter in an envelope and popped it into the shipping bin. I made up a bed for Denny on the sofa and hopped into the shower, dreading these next few days more than ever.

* * *

**A/N: sorry if this was slightly boring, it was just a filler I guess. Anyway, the next chapter will be slightly different because I wanted to look into Mark a little before he arrives on the island, so it'll be in his P.O.V which is cool – well, I think so anyway haha. Wow, I brought animal parade yesterday and the game was definitely worth it! I have a feeling if I am to write another story after this then I think I'll write one around it. Don't worry though, there's plenty more chapters until this finishes! **

**Like always, thanks for reading guys I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Reviews are always appreciated. **


	20. Recovering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

**A/N: okay so, this chapter doesn't have much relevance to the main story line at the minute but the information included will make it easier to introduce Mark sooner rather than later. Anyway, read on! XD**

* * *

_**Marks P.O.V**_

I groggily woke up to the harsh prodding of fingers in my sides. I groaned slightly and huddled further into the covers, not wanting to wake up.

"Mark it's time to get up." The woman cooed protectively.

"Five more minutes?" I questioned.

"Nope, you know what the doctor said. You have to get up now and take your medicine or you won't fully recover."

I sighed. She always won this conversation; it was the same every morning. I rolled over to stare up at the woman. She had loose blonde curls cascading freely down her shoulders with a black alice band in place to try and keep the hair off her face, her big glassy emerald green china doll like eyes stared down on me as I continued to take in her aging features. She wore the same red dress day in day out alongside her favourite sky blue jacket. Another face I knew and loved walked into my small room. He wore his beloved hat the same way I always wore mine, I inherited the hat loving thing from him, with his brown hair tufting out the sides. I was surprised to see his blue overalls already thrown on showing he was up and ready to fight the day.

"Morning, you have a letter." He smiled at me, before resting it on the cabinet in front of me.

I nodded slightly, a grin forming on my face. It had to be Claire writing to me, about bloody time. It feels like forever since I last saw her and I longed to see her smiling face and long blonde hair float down her back. I missed my little sister a hell of a lot.

"Mum?" I asked, a serious tone hinted in my voice. "Why'd you tell me Claire was dead? You promised you would look after her so why send her packing and lie to me about everything?"

This frequently came up too and I got frustrated because they would never give me an honest answer.

"I didn't send her packing dear, she left by her own free will. we decided to tell you she was dead because it would have been better that way. She was finally gone for good." Annoyance was heavily indulged in her voice.

I hadn't heard this answer before and my ears stung as the words pierced them slowly, like a thousand wasps all stinging me at once.

"But why would you want her gone?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly.

"She always interfered with everything and anything. I couldn't stand the stuck up little madam any more. To think that I had willingly promised to look after her if anything happened to them makes me feel sick now because she turned out to be a right little bitch. She had her fathers' personality alright. I'm surprised Jill ever loved that man." She sighed before walking out my room.

"Don't forget your medicine." She quickly added, popping her head around my door frame.

I groaned a little. "Okay, now bye." I stood up and slammed my door; pissed by the way she had spoken to me. I hated the way she spoke about Claire's parents – like they were never her friends. It made me feel physically sick. Claire's Mum and Dad had doted on her. Jill and Grey were nice enough people and I can remember them coming over plenty of times before the accident. Claire had inherited most things from her dad, from his personality to his sea blue eyes, although people who didn't know Claire had been adopted always assumed she was Muffy's due to the fact that the honest look so alike. Muffy and Jack – that's my dad, made a promise to the loved up couple that they would take care of Claire if anything were to happen to them and well, they had to take up their words as something bad did happen to them…

Claire was five years old when it happened. The family had decided to go out for the day as it was nice weather. On the way back they were involved in a freak car accident and both Grey and Jill were pronounced dead at the scene. As for Claire she suffered severe injuries and was extremely traumatised by the experience. It took us weeks to try and coax her to even speak to us. I know she still has flashbacks of the scene because I can remember comforting her the night before our car accident. She woke screaming and well, I was always the one to go comfort her, so I comforted her.

Do you know what's terrible though? Knowing the car accident was your fault yet having it blamed entirely on someone else. When I left that day with Claire, I had a purpose. That purpose was to get us both killed. I know that makes me sound like some psychopath but I can assure you I'm not. I just wanted to take away the bitterness and cruelness that life had given her. Everything had been so fine with me that it was unfair to watch her suffer. And she did suffer, Muffy and Jack kept their word, promising to look after her, she grew up calling them mommy and daddy but they hated her and you could tell by the way they spat at her. They treated us like totally different people and I pitied her, wanted to make everything better. I made everything worse because she did suffer more in a way I thought wasn't possible; she suffered for my stupidity.

I carried on torturing myself with my thoughts as I clambered carefully out of bed. Stretching, I whimpered as a searing pain; much like being branded by a hot iron, rippled through my side. I fought past it and made my way over to the letter, glad to see a response. It had me laugh a little at the use of Markie but also panic a slight amount over the fact that she had let a creep stay in her farm house. That was Jill's side of her shining through; caring and compassionate, too afraid to leave others in the dark if they needed help. I muttered to myself something about her being too helpful to those in need as I gently tucked the letter away in a treasury box- full of everything I loved. I then shoved on my work overalls with my blue cap and strutted into the kitchen.

I yanked open the cupboard doors searching for the small red bottle. I held the cool glass in my palm for a second before screwing open the top and pouring some of the content into the palm of my other hand. The blue and white pills didn't look too appetizing to say the least but I greedily gulped them down with the help of some water. I hated how the rest of the day would pan out. I would either just sit and watch some crap on the telly the whole day or lay in bed. Either way I moped around the house like some sort of lost soul. I'd lost all purpose; I wasn't allowed to work or farm as it would put too much strain on my recovering body, they wouldn't let me drive or go anywhere by myself; in fact if I didn't share the details of my day to day life with either my mum or dad then I'd be in trouble which Is crazy considering I'm 24. Yup, 24 and still living with my parents, not that that's a bad thing, I just can't afford to move out. The world is scarily expensive. I made my way to the lounge, grabbed some paper and a pen off the coffee table and scribbled out a response.

She wanted me to go in winter? But that was a whole season away. A whole season of doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself, brilliant. On the bright side I could go and watch chicken boy marry my ex. That would be fun especially if I stood at the back and protested because I know 'a perfectly valid reason as to why these two people can't get married…' Carter would be displeased had he found out Karen had cheated. That would be bye bye wedding. I wasn't that cruel, I rather enjoyed watching her become such a mess upon losing me; it made me feel better about my shitty little life. I hopped on the sofa – which now had an indent in the cushion, used to having me there all the time, and put some boring film on about dogs and cats fighting. I laughed at the concept; finding it highly funny that someone had actually produced a film such as this, it was such a basic story line after all.

After staring at the magic box for four hours I decided to actually get up and do something for once. I ended up cooking; something mum wasn't very good at. I laid everything presentable on the table before plodding back to my room sulkily. My muscles tinged with pain as I sat on my bed. My face stayed emotionless as I picked up that treasure box. I emptied the contents longingly, staring at so many pictures of Claire, looking at the letters she had sent and laughing at the lopsided drawing she had drawn so many years ago. I am definitely glad we took her in because I couldn't have asked for a better sister even if I tried.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by my interruptive mother. She called me into the living room once more, both Dads and her facial features etched with something so unfamiliar. I plopped down, slightly confused over the matter.

"Now that Claire's gone for good we have a spare room, right?" she began. I nodded briefly to show I was paying attention to her words. "Your father and I have decided it would be best if we put it to good use. We've decided we want to adopt another child. Well actually, we have already gone through the process, we shall be picking her up in a couple of weeks' time and you WILL be coming with us."

I nodded, too stunned to speak. I mean I know they weren't old – they were in their early 40's, they had me when they were 17 and 18, it just felt like they were replacing Claire and I wasn't too happy about it.

"She's going to be five and she's the cutest thing on the planet. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, almost the spitting image of me? isn't that great." She continued.

I switched off at this point and walked off, slumping myself on my bed. This all felt staged; too fake to be true. I intended to get out of here as soon as this goddess damn child arrived. I didn't want to stick around any longer. I screwed up the old letter I'd written and grabbed a new paper, starting a fresh letter whilst everything remained in my head.

_Dear Claire, _

_I had to write as soon as I heard back from you. I may be coming over sooner than you anticipate but I have my own reasons for that. They're adopting another child – blue eyed, blonde hair, spitting image of you when we first picked you up. I feel like I won't be able to live under the same roof as it once the thing arrives so I'll be packing my bags and heading for the islands regardless of your choice. If I really must, I can stay in the city for a week but that's as long as I'll be willing to hold out. _

_I hope that creep doesn't try anything on you whilst he stays at your house, or he'll have me to answer too haha, seriously though he'll be in deep shit. Hopefully you're having a good time at the island, a fresh start? It's as shitty as ever here, they're trying to erase you from my memory. All the photos of you are gone, your room emptied and everything you've ever drawn etc for them has been disposed of. I hope for your sake you aren't missing them because well, they aren't missing you. Sorry to be so blunt and harsh but I don't want to make you any more upset than you'll be already. I love you sis and I'll see you soon. _

_Remember, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite – we always use to say this whenever we went to bed. I still whisper them to myself at night, sad huh? Anyway bye_

_Love from Mark _

_P.S- you're totally screwed when I get my hands on you, I hate being called Markie! _

I folded the letter in an envelope and popped it on the side. I'll make sure to post it tomorrow. I curled up into bed and closed my eyes slightly letting my tiredness take over.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was something different! I hope you enjoyed this new view, it was definitely fun to write. It goes into a lot of background stuff that's not been stated so far which is why I wanted to add it. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys at the next update!**


	21. Drunk

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

*_The car shook furiously. One minute we were upside down the next we were upright. The car came to a halt, blaring out its horn for everyone to hear. My hands automatically flew to my ears, tears drenching my scared face. Once the horn died down my wailing was the only thing that filled the deathly silence surrounding us. I managed to slip off the protective belt and peered over at my parents. Both had blood dripping off their faces, dads arms were covered with little splinters of glass where the window screen had shattered in on him. His chest wasn't moving but I hardly battered an eyelid, not understanding what that meant…_

_I broke the silence, "Mommy?" No reply… "Daddy?" … nothing. _

"_Claire?" a hoarse voice croaked. I listened to the gentle sobs a I crawled over the small space separating the front of the car from the back and clambered into my mums lap. Snuggling into the warmth of her body, I felt hands protectively wrap themselves around me. _

"_Shh, it'll be okay." her voice whispered softly, "Mommy's got you now." _

_I breathed in her scented floral perfume alongside the strong metallic blood that covered her face and arms._

_I woke in the arms of my mum. She was stiff and cold but I stayed put, letting myself blackout from fear._

_Strangers ripped me away from her arms and carried me to a big van with loud sirens. "Where's mommy?" I asked, confused. "WHERE'S MOMMY?" my voice echoed, louder this time. "Where's mommy? I just want my mommy, where is she?" no reply…_

"_Where's mommy?"*_

* * *

I awoke shuddering and shaking; drenched in sweat.

"Where's mommy?" I subconsciously asked, imitating my younger form before a piercing scream erupted from my mouth; blood curdling and cruel, one that someone in severe danger would give off. A figure loomed over me repetitively asking if I was okay but I switched off, drowning myself in my thoughts. I was surprised to say the least, it was the first time I'd had the nightmare here. It was a frequent occurrence at home… home. How I longed for Marks comforting words, his protective arms pulling me towards him, holding me securely; allowing me to drown out my sorrows. Fear of the past was the only thing that haunted me; possessing my every thought and feeling. The events of my life had scarred me deeply and as much as I had tried to blot everything out, like blotting away excess ink on paper, it always came back to abuse me. I had tried to run away from it and my attempt had failed. Even changing my name in a hope that my memory wouldn't find me hadn't worked. You can't run away or hide from your memory. It's part of you after all and so will always come flying back with more force than before.

"Chelsea?" the voice echoed.

'Who was Chelsea?' I sleepily thought… 'Oh, wait, isn't that me?'

"Mhm?" I muffled, trying hard to choke back the tears.

"Shh, it's okay." the voice replied, draping their arms around my shaking body.

I shot up at the word choice and leapt out of bed. Unable to keep control of my emotions I allowed my tears to flow freely. I slipped out of my house and carelessly jogged to the mountain top in the dead of night, knowing that I wouldn't be bothered here; I didn't want to, should have to, explain myself and this story. This wasn't how it was meant to go.

I watched the sun rise and sighed to myself; contemplating whether or not to go back, this was supposed to be the first of a new season, an extremely busy day for any farmer. Instead of working I sat here thinking about life. I only left because my bladder was about to explode. Once that was taken care of I rushed to tend to Magic; that was all that mattered now.

I'd managed to drift off in her barn, surrounded by the intoxicatingly sweet smell of fodder mixed with earth. I marched back into my little house and yanked open each cupboard, searching. Once I had found the item I was searching for I screwed open the top and took a long drink from the dark red liquid inside the green bottle. I pretty much downed the bottle in one before moving onto a new one. I could feel my head become lighter and I felt almost weightless.

"Hey Chels, you feeling better now? you just disappeared this morning. I've been really worried about you." He quickly gushed whilst walking through the door.

"Hii Dennnyy." I slurred, giggling a little as I did so.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked suspiciously.

Well, duh, it was obvious. "Maybee." I giggled.

At this he rushed to my side. "Have you eaten anything at all today?"

"Uhhh. Yep."

I stood up and stumbled away from him, making my way into the kitchen. I grabbed down a different bottle full of whisky and collapsed onto the sofa.

"I really don't think you should be drinking anything more Chels." Denny announced, his brows knitted together with a somewhat angry expression sewn onto his face.

"Don't tellll me what to doo… you can't boss me about." I replied.

"Fine whatever, it's your choice. If you're drinking then I am too." He sternly said before snatching the whisky bottle out of my hand and swigging down some of the contents.

We finished that bottle and he went onto a new one until we were both drunk out of our minds. What happened later was anyone's guess.

* * *

I woke up groggily feeling very sick with a pounding head to try and deal with. As hard as I tried I couldn't remember anything more than finishing the bottle of whisky. Dread filled me as I thought of all the things that could have happened. I quickly shrugged them off upon seeing an empty house. I ran to the bathroom and threw up everywhere before deciding that planting my crops would have to wait until tomorrow. I dealt with Magic, smiling happily knowing her pregnancy was going well. I stumbled back to my beloved house and snuggled into the sofa with my duvet covering nearly every part of me. I flicked on the telly and fell asleep to the buzzing sound of people talking.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it guys, another chapter and a double update. :3, I made it a double because both chapters were considerably short, so sorry about that ****. If this chapter doesn't make much sense I apologise and sorry for making it so sad/dramatic or whatever. Im guessing you can tell she had a tough time growing up; that's why she ran away haha. Anyway thanks for reading, I've had over a thousand views now which is unbelievable!** **i do really appreciate all the reviews left and my followers/ favouriters, you guys are the best. Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter :3**


	22. Wednesday

**Disclaimer: i don't own Harvest moon or the lyrics mentioned in the chapter.**

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

Luckily for me Denny had moved out the day after we got drunk together. It was terrible to think neither one of us knew what happened that night; well if he did he didn't tell me anything, despite my questioning the next time I saw him. it was nice to have my house back to myself, no creepy guy suggesting stuff I wouldn't feel comfortable with. Unfortunately for me though I had had the same nightmare every night. It began to make me feel uneasy about sleeping, and made sleeping itself very difficult.

* * *

It had been little under a week since the rain and everyone was glad that the sun had kept shining strongly since, ignoring the bitter cold that fall had brought with it. I looked at the calendar, glad to see it was Wednesday. I hadn't gotten Vaughn out of my head much since last Thursday, so was pretty excited hoping that I would see him today. I rushed outside and tended to my carrots, spinach, eggplant and yam crops before checking in on Magic. Surely she was due soon? Her stomach looked ready to burst. It had been ages since Vaughn had given her the miracle potion. Either that or time was going extremely slow. Well, it definitely hadn't been 21 days yet so she couldn't be ready now. I shrugged to myself as I walked out of the barn, pondering all this. I came to a halt when I reached my door, seeing a letter left on the floor. A letter from Mark. I tore open the envelope and delved in, excited to say the least about the response. Inside I was dancing summersaults when reading that he was hopefully coming sooner than I had hoped. Inside I died a little reading that they were adopting another, I instantly knew that I was given up on then, unwanted. I smiled at the bluntness of the letter. I was glad I hadn't missed them; I only yearned for my real parents. I wish I had photos of them.

"Hi Chen." I greeted him, happy as ever.

"Hey there Chelsea. Your order arrived." He smiled, before handing over the hair dye.

"Thanks. Oh, Chen, do you have any uh, woman products in storage?" I asked, my face flushing a light red.

"I'll go check." He nodded.

He appeared five minutes later with my requested item.

"Thanks." I said before handing him the money and fleeing as quickly as possible.

I rushed back home to store the purchased items before absentmindedly disappearing off to Julia's. I didn't make it very far until I walked smack bang straight into someone.

"Watch where you're going." A grumpy voice started.

As soon as I heard the voice an instant smile spread across my face.

"Hey Vaughn." I grinned. I doubt my smile could've gotten any bigger even if I wanted it to.

"Chelsea." He acknowledged, the scowl on his face fading slightly.

I crossed my hands against my chest, pouting. "Stop being so grumpy. Lighten up a little."

At this his scowl returned, causing me to laugh.

"What's so funny?" He frowned.

"Just, ah, nothing. It really doesn't matter." I managed to choke out before bursting into laughter again.

"Whatever." He shrugged before stalking off to the animal shop.

I followed him , knowing he'd probably get pissy over it but ah well, I was heading there anyway.

"Hey Julia." I cried out, flashing a smile as I greeted her.

"Chelseaaa." She screeched.

"Goddess, do you have to be so loud?" Vaughn asked bitterly before sloping off to his room.

"What's his problem?" Julia questioned before shrugging it off. "Anyway, you've come at the perfect time." She beamed at me.

"I have?" I asked, a little startled.

"Yeah. You can help me get ready. Elliot and I are going on a double date with Natalie and Pierre. It's a shame you haven't got anyone or you could've come with us." She grinned, waggling her eyebrows at me.

I groaned as her words registered. "Well, even if there was someone I wouldn't come because well, that's not really my thing." I muttered.

She strutted into her room before emerging 5 seconds later wearing a black cocktail dress that didn't fit right and revealed way more flesh than necessary. "What about this?"

I shook my head. "Uh, haven't you got anything a little less revealing?" My eyes widened in shock at the laugh emerge from the other room. Since when did Vaughn laugh?...

"But that ruins the fun of it." she chuckled.

I just rolled my eyes, "Seriously, trust me on this."

"Fine." She huffed before disappearing again.

This time she came out in a red dress, a little less revealing and longer than the last. I nodded my head in approval before stepping into her bedroom.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I was lost in thought when the small farmer came bounding into me. Rather than look pleased or remotely happy to see her I set on my usual cold exterior. I freaked a little when she burst into laughter. What the hell was so funny? I shrugged it off before slamming the door to the animal shop and stomping into my room. Obviously I had to point out the fact that they were being too bloody loud for anyone to think before disappearing into my room.

I lay on my bed just staring at the ceiling, thinking about things. I got pretty pissed when voices interrupted my thoughts.

"Uh, haven't you got anything a little less revealing?" A bold voice asked bravely.

A loud raspy laugh escaped my lips, Julia having something less revealing? The girl only ever wore clothes that showed too much flesh; I dreaded to think about what she was wearing. See, Chelsea on the other hand never seemed to wear revealing stuff; only when she was forced into things by Julia. My mind flickered back to the firework festival/ Julia's sleepover and the rather revealing outfit Chelsea was forced into when she stole my hat. A slight smile twitched at my lips, which felt weird. I never smiled. What was wrong with me? Ever since Chelsea and I have become well, somewhat closer I can't get her out of my head; the damn farmer has changed me and I can't figure out why. She's frustrating.

"Julia just let me do your makeup. You look like you're wearing half a makeup counter." A voice tried to reason.

I rolled my eyes. She always wore too much makeup too. Good luck to Chelsea for trying to change that.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I reasoned a little more before finally persuading Julia into letting me redo her makeup. I applied everything lightly; transforming her into someone different. I stood back to admire my work, smiling.

"Wow, thanks Chelsea. I look great don't I?" she stated, sounding amazed.

Just because I didn't wear makeup much doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing with it.

"Crap, I've seriously gotta go, see you Chelsea. Thanks for helping me." she rushed whilst practically running out the door.

"Bye." I replied before making myself comfortable on a sofa. I guess it was a little creepy that I decided to stay despite both Julia and Mirabelle were out but I didn't care. it was much warmer and homely here.

"I thought you left." Vaughn stated, scaring the living shit out of me.

"Crap." I jumped, clutching my heart. "I didn't realise anyone else was here."

"Well sorry. Wanna watch a film with me?" he asked, a hint of something I couldn't quite recognise snuggled in his voice.

"Sure." I grinned.

"Okay. we are watching Magic."

"Magic?" I asked unnervingly, thinking about my cow in her barn.

"Yeah, it's a horror film. I haven't seen it yet but it's supposed to be good. It's about a ventriloquist doll."

"Uh, okay." I said, slightly uncertain. Dolls kinda scared me so this could be interesting.

"We'll go to the diner first if you want." He added. "I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet?"

I shook my head and followed him to the door; much happier with this suggestion.

"Why do you get so pissy when people take your hat?" I asked curiously.

"Uh." Was all he conjured up before grunting.

He was much taller than me and could walk at a much faster pace; covering more ground than I could manage so I trailed a little way behind him, observing his walk carefully. It was only then that I realised just how gigantic this guy was in comparison to me. I was the shortest out of my group of friends on the island and well, he definitely had to be the tallest.

'Hmm, I wonder what he would look like with his silvery hair down, without the hat.' I wondered to myself. 'I mean, even with the hat he's attractive so without it he might be more attractive.' I pondered. Wait, I think he's attractive now? I guess I do. Actually I know I do. I mean who wouldn't find a silvery hair, purple eyed cowboy something similar to perfection, attractive?

I laughed aloud to myself as a variety of other similar thoughts swarmed my head.

"Care to tell me what's so funny?" a velvety voice asked.

"Nothing." I stuttered feeling myself redden.

I quickly stepped through the open door and sat at the table almost hidden from the surrounding people. I stared onwards at the table where Julia was sitting. She was flirting massively with Elliot, rather smitten, whilst he sat still clearly not registering her words properly. Natalie and Pierre were cute though despite the fact he looked like a child. I smiled a little noticing how happy the others looked. I was glad they had all found someone who matched them well whilst being cooped up on the island. I stared for too long and caught Natalie's attention; she waved me over but I looked away, leaving my eyes darting nervously around the rest of the room before finally resting on the stoic cowboy at the counter. Whilst patiently waiting, my ears perked up upon hearing one of my favourite songs.

'_Hold on baby your losing it._

_the waters high, you're jumping into it and letting go _

_and no one knows that you cry but you don't tell anyone. _

_That you might not be the golden one, _

_and you're tied together with a smile. _

_But you're coming undone_

I sat there singing away to myself quietly, unaware of the cowboy settling himself down at the table.

"Y'know you have a nice voice." He interrupted, startling me massively.

"Uh, thanks I guess." I replied, a pink tinge making its way to my cheeks.

He handed me a bowl of porridge which I gladly accepted. "Y'know I should probably give you the money for this. You've paid for my food a lot."

"It's fine." He grunted.

"Ugh, no its not. Stop trying to be a gentleman or whatever and let me pay for it."

"Well, I won't accept your money if you tried to give me anything so don't bother."

"Fine." I replied bitterly before rolling my eyes and eating my porridge.

My eyes searched his features – probably for the hundredth time, as we ate in silence. His amethyst orbs were really beautiful. I had never met someone so fascinating to look at yet be so cold and stoic to the outside world. I was fixated on his eyes for a while, watching the way the glimmered every time new emotions were to cross his face. As soon as his eyes met mine, I looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring at him. I quickly looked up again though, surprised to find his eyes searching for mine. We held each other's gaze for a while longer before Vaughn finally pulled his hat over his face; hiding himself from me.

A small sigh escaped my mouth as I glanced around the room, well aware of everyone's eyes on us. I couldn't wait to leave. We both practically sprinted back to the animal shop.

"Why was everyone looking at us like that? Why can't people mind their own goddess damn business?" Vaughn venomously asked, before sinking into the 'loveseat' sofa that Mirabelle owned.

I couldn't believe that he was getting so worked up about something so petty. Ah well. I joined him on the sofa and finally realised how small the goddess damn thing was. Talk about practically sitting on top of one another.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I stuck the film on and re-joined Chelsea on the sofa. I couldn't help but hint a smile when she snuggled up to me a little.

"You know Vaughn, you really ought to smile more. You have a really nice smile."

I didn't say anything in return. I just pulled my hat further down my face.

The film proceeded. At first it wasn't scary at all and then things began to get a little creepy. I mean, I wasn't scared though. Chelsea's reactions made me laugh. I mean a proper laugh, not any of this fake shit I offer. Every time something remotely scary happened she would jump and hide her face further and further into my jacket.

"I really don't like dolls." She would then state, causing me to chuckle each and every time.

By the end of the film, I ended up with my arm draped around Chelsea and her head almost completely buried in my jacket.

"Is it over yet?" she whispered timidly.

Before I could even reply Julia walked in.

"Hi Vaug… what the hell?" she squealed as her eyes settled onto us.

"Chelseaa." She practically screamed, "You never told me you and Vaughn were dating."

Her head shot up at the words, "We're not?" she replied.

Julia folder her arms across her chest and stared intently at us both for a couple of minutes. "It sure did look like you were dating. If you're hiding anything from me, I will find out." Julia laughed before simpering off to her room.

"Sorry." Chelsea stated as she stood up and stretched. "I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of Julia. I should probably be going now as it's getting late." She finished.

"Okay, I'm coming too." I replied.

"Uh, you don't. You don't have to." she stuttered.

"A lady should never be out in the dark on her own." I replied, rolling my eyes slightly.

"C'mon then."

It was pretty much pitch black outside and as we walked further away from the light of Mirabelle's shop I felt the warmth of a hand entwine itself into mine. I smiled and clasped the hand a little tighter, if it made her feel safe then so what?

"Vaughn, why do you never talk about your past?" she asked innocently. "I mean you know more about me than the rest of the island; you, uh, know about my past and well, I know very little about you."

Okay, so that was fair enough and very true. She didn't know anything much about me, but then who did? I mean, I never opened up to anyone so what makes her think she can be so frickin special and know everything. We walked into her farm house and I made myself at home sitting next to her on the sofa.

I mentally kicked myself as I started speaking. "Well, I, uh, what d'you want to know?"

"Anything."

"Okay then. My parents were never great. I mean, there would be days where I would go without food and well, sometimes if I didn't do something they'd ask me to do I'd get beaten, punched, kicked, whatever took their fancy. I was seen as just a punch bag sometimes. Anyway, when I was twelve my parents decided to go away for a while and so I was left at home on my own. A week went by and then two and three. They never came back. The bills were due and repo men came to take stuff away, they took me away too; took me to an orphanage. It took me four painful years to escape that place but when I did I got a job as an animal trader. Four years later and here I am, stuck on this goddess damned island two days a week with the overly enthusiastic islanders overpowering my stay." I bitterly stated. My voice got more and more aggressive the further I got into telling my tale. Thinking back to the whole thing really riled me. I was so angry I was physically shaking by the time I had finished. I think if I had allowed myself too I could have punched down a bloody wall.

I had been so consumed in anger that I hadn't realised that Chelsea had pulled me – well tried to anyway- into a hug. I awkwardly returned the embrace, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry Vaughn. It must have been really hard for you." Was all she whispered before tightening her grip around my neck.

"Chels, I can't breathe." I murmured. My eyes widened a little as I realised what I had just called her. Since when did I use nicknames?

"Oh, right, sorry." She replied, letting her hands drop.

My face fell slightly at the gesture but I quickly composed myself again. We sat awkwardly for a while, our faces up close with my arms still wrapped around her waist. Her eyes were such a beautiful shade of blue, something more overpowering than the blue of the sky but less than the deepest blue of a sapphire. I had never seen a blue like it, it made her more enticing.

"Vaughn." She whispered softly, she was so close that I felt her breath tickle my face, making my heart flutter just a small amount.

'Gah what was wrong with me? How has this girl made me go all soft? I've spent years hardening myself – essentially protecting myself- from the outside world but here she is just slowly tearing down everything I've created, showing my inner side to people. I mean at work I actually smile sometimes and I'm polite. I mean, this is me we're talking about! I was never polite or particularly pleasant to people before. Now look at me. Maybe there's nothing wrong with my change though. Maybe it's for the better?' I thought, locking myself away from the real world for a while whilst I contemplated everything.

I was quickly brought back to the real world when Chelsea tried to pull away.

"Ohh, sorry." I mumbled, removing my arms as quickly as possible. I yanked my hat down as far as it would go in an attempt to hide my reddened cheeks whilst she stood up.

"Sorry but, uh, do you mind going? I don't mean to be so blunt but it's really late and well, to be honest I'm shattered." She sleepily said.

"Yeah that's fine." I nodded, "Sorry that I stayed so long."

I hastily stood up and proceeded to the door.

"Bye Chels, see you tomorrow." I said before quickly adding, "Or some other day."

"Bye Vaughn." She replied before stretching up on her tip toes and pulling me into a hug.

I dropped my arms first this time and was surprised for a second when she didn't let go. Instead she simply whispered "Thanks for opening up to me, I know you wouldn't normally. I'm sorry things have been tough on you."

As she pulled away she quickly kissed my cheek, leaving me frozen into place, blushing furiously.

"Bye Vaughn." She laughed, seeing me out.

* * *

I lay in my bed, the house utterly silent for once. It was weird staying in an almost strangers house two days a week. 'Did that really happen or do I have some seriously crazy imagination?' I questioned myself before falling into a peaceful Chelsea orientated sleep.

* * *

**A/N: And so it begins ;). It feels like forever but I prefer gradual relationships – well somewhat gradual anyway, rather than like bang it's been three chapters/days and we're already in a relationship kind of story line. These two are absolutely adorable together and they have to be one of my favourite Harvest Moon couples. I know technically speaking they aren't a couple as such as he has Sabrina as his rival but I don't like her, so in my head they are and always will be a couple mwhaha ;). Oh, i should probably mention that the lyrics used are from Taylor Swifts song 'Tied together with a smile' it felt fitting for the way Chelsea/Claire is presented. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading! **


	23. Trip to the clinic

I woke up groggily to the sound of banging. I furiously wiped the sleep away from my tired eyes before heavily trudging to the door.

"Chelsea." A silver haired man said.

"Morning." I mumbled sleepily, opening the door wider and signalling for him to come in.

"Sorry to disturb you but I was just worried as it's late and your farm work hasn't been done yet." He replied.

"Oh crap, what's the time?" I grimaced. It couldn't be that late, I mean I was still impossibly tired.

"9." He started.

A nauseous feeling spread uncomfortably across my stomach as he carried on speaking.

"Which is why I came to make sure you were…"

"One second." I interrupted before clutching my stomach and rushing to the small bathroom.

One hand secured itself around my hair whilst my other rested lightly against the cool rim of the toilet. I stayed in that position for quite some time until I was sure I had finished puking my guts up. Protectively, I placed my hand over my mouth and walked back into the other room.

"Are you alright?" Vaughn asked, his voice thick with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." I announced.

"You really shouldn't be doing work today in your condition." He replied, looking worried about me.

"Seriously, I'm fine." I snapped, before grabbing my tools and heading out to my field still dressed in my pyjamas.

"Hold that thought." I gushed before making a run to the bathroom again.

Groaning, I made my back into the other room, surprised to find it empty. Taking advantage of the free house, I shoved on my work clothes and made my way to the field with my tools.

"Hey girl." I smiled, a little excited to see Magic's stomach bulging; showing signs of the calf developing inside of her.

I shoved some fodder lovingly into the feeding area of the birthing pen.

"There you go girl." I happily said as I reached for the brush in my bag. I brushed away the dust and much from her coat whilst smoothing it all out nicely for her. A groan developed in my throat as I realised that today is the day I planned to get rid of all the muck in the barn.

"My plants will have to wait." I whispered to myself as I grabbed a pitchfork from the corner of the room. Just as I was about to start shovelling a figure appeared in the door way of the barn.

"Chelsea, I told you not to work." An aggravated Vaughn said.

"Well tough. There's nothing wrong with me." I said, trying to reason with him. I wasn't one to just drop work simply because I was ill. Work was my life.

"Stop making excuses." He bitterly replied.

Before I could do anything arms wrapped themselves around me and I was hastily carriedback to my house.

"Now, you stay here and I'll do your work. If you move, I'll just have to take you back to Mirabelle's where she and Julia can monitor you." He snarled, a small smirk edging itself out from his mouth.

"You wouldn't." I gasped, knowing full well that if he took me there I'd be babied in the attempt to look after me.

"I would, now sit."

"Urgh, fine." I huffed out, irritated to say the least.

"Good girl." He grinned sarcastically; obviously happy by the fact that he'd won this time around.

I watched the door slam shut before sighing and getting up. I wasn't going to just sit here regardless to what he might say. Turning on the stove, I got to work chucking all the right ingredients to the pan. Milk, oats and a tiny bit of water. Once the mixture that bubbled away came together, I served it up into two small bowls, making the larger portion Vaughn's as I wasn't hungry in the slightest.

"Perfect timing." I chimed as the door opened and a sweaty cowboy appeared.

"Uh, right."

"Here, I made this for you as you've done all my chores. You can have my bowl too if you'd like because I don't want anything." I smiled, handing him both bowls.

"Thanks." He mumbled out. "I'm not eating unless you do too." he said before thrusting the smaller bowl into my open hands.

"Fine."

I took one mouthful of the lumpy, cold concoction before deciding not to eat any more. Rather than say anything I sat there swirling my spoon around the bowl and playing with the food. It was a surprise to find Vaughn staring at me when I looked up.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing." He frowned, furrowing his eyebrows at me.

He stared at me for so long that I started to become uneasy. I found myself rushing to the bathroom for the final time that day whilst the cowboy looked on.

* * *

After four more days of being sick in the mornings and unable to keep anything I ate down I finally gave in. Taking out my phone, I made several calls to arrange my stay on the boat alongside my appointment who doctor Trent who, unfortunately, couldn't come over to the islands. With what very little clothes I owned packed for my overnight stay, I slowly made my way to the docks, only stopping to give Taro my letter explaining my absence and if it would be possible for him to look after my farm for the days that I would be gone.

Nervously I stepped onto the boat, my body shaking viciously. 'It'll be alright.' I thought to myself as I breathed deeply in and out. I was excited to be going to the city though, even when I was little I grew up away from the city and so this was my first official visit. It wouldn't be a proper visit though, it would be a get there, go to the clinic, wait for the boat to come back and go home.

I slipped on my pyjamas and curled up in the small cabin bed available. I quickly fell asleep, my worry of the boat sinking being washed away. I woke up the same as every morning with chronic sickness.

*We will be boarding in the city in 10 minutes. This is the last stop. Please wait on the deck until further notice.*

Brilliant, I hurriedly threw my clothes on and shoved the rest in my rucksack before making my way to the deck. My body shook and shivered as the sea air nipped at my skin. The polluted air of the city mingled with it, intoxicating my lungs with every breath I took.

"Right, I need to go to Oxford square to get to the clinic. Where the hell is that?" I mumbled to myself as I began making my way through the hustle and bustle of the heavily populated city. People rudely barged into me as I bumbled through the crowded streets.

"Hey, watch where you're going." I yelled, fed up of being shoved about.

The crowd almost parted at this point, giving me time to try and navigate to the clinic. After half an hour of more walking I finally found where I needed to be.

"Chelsea." Trent beamed. "It's so good to finally see you. Please, take a seat." He said, pointing to the examination counter heavily covered with clinical tissue.

I nodded as I jumped up onto it.

"So what seems to be the problem?" he kindly asked.

After explaining my sickness a puzzled look spread across his face.

"Do you know when your last period was, Chelsea?" he reassuringly asked.

"Uh, as it happens I don't but I should have had one by now…" I trailed off, my eyes widening in shock.

"Hmm, that's interesting. Close your eyes and lay down please." He asked.

Agreeing to his request, I closed my eyes and relaxed a little. The gel that was placed on my stomach was freezing and made me shudder.

"Chelsea." He began, cocking his head slightly at me.

Opening my eyes, I stared back at the healthy looking man, intrigued to say the least.

"Congratulations. You're pregnant." He beamed, a genuine smile showing his pearly white teeth.

"P ppregnant?" I stuttered nervously. How the hell could I be pregnant? As far as I knew I hadn't slept with anyone so this situation seemed a little strange to say the least.

"Yeah. I'm sure your partner will be happy to know you're not ill after all. But anyway, you're just under 2 weeks I believe. You should start to develop a small bump by the end of the season so don't panic. Oh, and please try not to put your body under too much stress. Stress is never good for the developing baby."

"Uh, okay." I nodded shyly, suddenly very embarrassed and self-aware of the situation. "Thanks then."

"You take care now." He waved as I walked out of the clinic and into the streets again.

'Pregnant? Fucking brilliant. How the hell was I supposed to explain this to anyone? Or to get people to understand the situation. I couldn't keep this thing could I? This is a disaster.' I carelessly thought to myself, not paying attention to the people surrounding me.

'And how the hell would I explain this to Denny… this is his fault. If he had never asked to stay at mine then this disaster would never have happened. The bastard, I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him.'

I was pulled out of my thoughts by someone aggressively trying to push past me, shoving me almost in the road to get their own way.

"Hey, stop pushing me. I swear to goddess if you don't I will actually kill you." I snarled out. I was so angry by everything that you could probably see steam puffing out my ears.

"Chelsea?" A southern voice called out.

'Huh? Vaughn? What's he doing here.' I began to wonder as I automatically duct and tried to blend in with the crowd. Big, rough hands settled themselves on my shoulder, spinning me around.

"Vaughn? What are you doing here?" I questioned, ignoring the stares of passers-by.

"Well, I think you're forgetting that when I'm not on the island I LIVE in the city. What the hell are you doing in the city? It's dangerous to be wandering around by yourself. Anything could've happened."

"Well, nothing did happen so quit acting stupidly. And I'm here because I felt like it, okay?"

"Not a good enough answer but fine. Do the others know you're here?"

"Only Taro. He's taking care of my farm for today; I leave on the ferry soon so I should be leaving." I signalled.

"Me too. We can walk there together."

"Alright then." I nodded as we began making our way through the crowd.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry about the terrible ending D: but I felt like stopping it there to be honest. Anyway thanks for reading guys :3**


	24. Admitting

**A/N: Okay, to clear things up a little as I think I may have confused some of you from the last chapter or so. Basically, When Denny stayed over hers for a couple of days they both got drunk together and did stupid drunk stuff which Chelsea couldn't remember, hence the reason why she is now pregnant. Sorry for any confusion that may have been caused XD, anyway on with the story…**

* * *

Why the hell was Chelsea wandering around the city by herself? What an idiot, didn't she realise that it was easy for something bad to have happened to her. I guess I'm glad I found her when I did then. I wonder if anyone else knew she was here? They must have done otherwise I probably would have received a phone call or something, right?

We walked to the dock in silence, the only words that ever left my mouth were: "Hey watch it." every time someone tried to shove their way past. I really hate the city.

As the boat hadn't arrived yet, we sat in some local coffee shop, showing us a clear view of the sea and the docks so we could make an exit as soon as the boat arrived. Chelsea was acting weird, and when I say weird I mean really weird. She wasn't her usual happy, bubbly self. In her place sat a rather drained brunette with little life left in her eyes; she was unusually quiet and looked pretty distant, staring away at the empty space.

"Chelsea? Are you okay?" I asked. Genuinely worried for the girl.

I waited patiently for her to reply, but silence filled the air. What was bothering her so much? There was no point in bothering her if she didn't want to say anything so I kept my mouth shut. After chugging the rest of my coffee, I threw the cup in the bin and walked up to the oncoming boat. I stood in a daze as Chelsea nervously climbed aboard after me and headed straight to the bar.

"Give me a shot of something strong." She asked the bar tender, sounding fed up.

I didn't know she drank. "Chelsea, I don't think you should be drinking right now." I said coldly.

"Why the hell not?" she snapped back at me.

"Sorry, I was just saying." I mumbled out, pissed that she would talk to me in that way. I mean I know she wasn't feeling great but she didn't need to drown out her sorrows. I was just looking out for her yet again. Maybe I should stop though. I mean, why am I looking out for her? i already knew the answer to that one; I liked her. Much more than a friend. I liked her in a 'I want you to be my girlfriend but you would never even consider me like that' sort of way.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

What was his problem? Couldn't he just leave me alone for a while? I downed the shot even though I knew it was irresponsible considering I was carrying a fricken baby now. I jumped off the bar stool and proceeded to make my way to the cabin room, a little shaky on my feet. I'm guessing Vaughn followed me but I just slammed the door shut in his face. I slid down the inside of the door and rested my head in my knees. What the hell have I done? I began cursing under my breath as tears dampened my face. Why me of all people? Gah. 'Chelsea get a hold of yourself. There's been worse, right? Stop being such a dramatic little cow and man up a little. It's just a baby okay? It won't kill you and I'm sure others will be supportive of the situation.' I tried to reassure myself. It worked as my previous shocked, hate ridden self vanished and a much friendlier mood washed over me.

"Chelsea are you okay in there?" a hoarse voice asked from the other side of the door.

I slowly opened the door and peaked through the small gap I'd made.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I whispered, trying to give a reassuring smile. I'm pretty sure it looked the opposite and was scary though.

A frown emerged on his face, not convinced with my answer. "Uh, you don't look it. Let me in?"

I shook my head slightly. "Why'd you care so much?" I questioned, intrigued to say the least.

"Uh, well, I." he started, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. A quick yank on his hat covered his face as he continued, "Because we're friends right? That's what friends do, care for each other."

"Mhmm." I shrugged. "Okay then. I don't feel like talking to you right now so bye." I said before slamming the door in his face again.

I know it was a little harsh but well, I needed to be on my own some more.

* * *

I must've fallen asleep at some point because the boat docked up at the island quicker than I expected. I stormed off the ship and strolled across the beach to Denny's shack. I knocked a couple times before the door opened revealing a half asleep fisherman. A huge grin appeared on his face upon seeing me. He tried to pull me into a hug, but I pushed him away.

"Hey, I need to speak with you about something." I bitterly said, stepping past him into his shack.

"Uh, sure, what's up?" he asked.

"Well you know the other night." I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands into small fists by my side.

"Oh, yeah. What about it."

"Well, it's just…" I paused for a second, catching a glimpse of a blonde sleeping on his floor. "Wait, what's Lana doing here?" I questioned.

"Oh, we are going fishing early tomorrow which is today now as its Wednesday right? anyway, we're going fishing early so she's staying so we can just get up and go."

"Oh, right. I'll leave you to it then." I said, pursing my mouth shut tight.

"Bye." He sleepily said, waving me off as I stumbled back across the beach again.

I gave a deep sigh and took a walk through the forest. There would be no way I was able to sleep again tonight. I sat by the goddess pond, peering over into the hypnotic water.

"What am I going to do?" I asked, rocking myself back and forth gently.

I threw the twisted flower next to me in the pond, watching it swirl and sink in the water. A blaze of white light flashed out from the water, a girl with beautiful seaweed green hair stepped out of it smiling.

"Ah, Chelsea." She beamed.

"You, how'd you know my name?" I asked, shocked.

"Well I'm the Harvest Goddess silly. I know everyone on this island, including you dear." she said, pointing a slim finger at me.

"Harvest Goddess?" I repeated, surprised.

"Yeah. Don't worry dear, everything happens for a reason. Your path will become clear soon so good luck. I have faith in you to do the right thing. Oh by the way, I liked your offering but I would have preferred strawberries. Toodles." She waved, vanishing into thin air.

I rubbed my eyes and blinked a couple of times.

"Did that really just happen?" I asked myself, too shocked to believe it was real.

Dazed, I slowly made my way back to my house.

* * *

After 4 cups of highly caffeinated coffee and watching random crap on the telly, morning finally came. I got to work immediately, watering all my crops. I smiled a little noticing that they'd be ready to harvest soon. I brushed down Magic and fed her, glad to see she was doing well.

"Hmm, I guess we're the same now girl." I joked as I finished up in the barn.

As soon as I stepped outside again I was tackled to the ground by a squealing blonde.

"Chelsea." Julia shrieked. "No one knew where you went. Taro refused to tell any of us anything. I was soo worried about you."

"I wasn't gone long. I had to go and do something important for, uh, my brother." I smiled, hoping she'd see through the poorly constructed lie.

"I've missed you though! The island isn't the same without you!"

"We hardly see each other, I don't see how it was different. It's nice to be back here though." I smiled, picking myself up from the floor.

"I'm guessing you haven't eaten this morning yet?" she asked, looking me up and down.

"I didn't have time." I protested.

"That's fine. We can go get breakfast at the diner. Natalie is already there waiting for us." She grinned.

"How'd you know I was back?" I asked suspiciously.

"Vaughn told me when he came here this morning. Mumbled some crap about you being weird with him. Hey, what's the deal with you two anyway? Ah, you can explain it when we're in the diner."

"Uh. Okay?" I said hesitantly.

"C'mon, we don't want to make Nat wait any longer. She'll kill us otherwise."

The blonde dragged me all the way to the diner and practically forced me into a chair. Julia sat opposite me, next to Nat.

"So, come on, spill the gossip." Julia started.

"There's nothing to gossip about." I shrugged.

"You can't tell me nothing's going on between you two. I mean, seriously? What about last week when I came home to find you guys practically on top of one another watching some film. That means something is happening right?"

I almost chocked. "We WEREN'T practically on top of one another, that sofa is just tiny! We watched a film as friends and that's it." I said firmly, crossing my arms across my chest.

"She has got a point, I mean about your sofa being tiny." Nat said, backing me up.

"Oh, fine. But don't you have feelings for him or something? I mean he is gorgeous after all. You're lucky because he only ever speaks to you properly too. Whenever Mum or I try to ask him something he always grunts or gives us one word answers. Come on, just admit your undying love or something. It's boring that you're not in a relationship when Nat and I are."

"Fine." I huffed. "I suppose I, uh, do kinda like him. He's definitely grown on me. Something about a guy dressed up like a cowboy with mysterious looks definitely appeals to me." I said quietly, going a noticeable deep shade of red as I did so.

Just as I finished speaking, he walked in causing a whole bunch of wolf whistles to erupt from Nat and Jules as well as hysterical laughter.

"Brilliant." I groaned, turning redder than I already was before.

I watched as he gave quizzical looks at us before sitting.

"Guuyss." I whimpered. "Don't. He would never go for a girl like me in a million years. Stop acting so stupidly."

"I swear to goddess you're blind Chels. Everyone can see something that you can't." Julia said, winking.

"What d'you mean?"

"Don't worry." She shook her head dismissively before delving into the food that arrived.

* * *

**A/N: sorry if this chapter was boring, I feel like it is, but I think I'll call it a filler of some sort. Poor Chelsea though, goddess knows what she'll do with the baby. I feel like my story is really boring, but if you guys are enjoying it then I guess it can't be?****I have no idea to be honest XD.** I wouldn't want to stop writing until it's finished though because this story is like my baby considering it's the first story I've written :3. Anyway thanks for reading. Bye guys :3.


	25. Revealing

"I need to tell you something. I, uh. What would you do if I told you I was pregnant and, uh, you were the father?" I stuttered out.

"No, no, no!" I viciously slammed my fists into the table in frustration. "That doesn't sound right. I don't know how the hell I'm going to tell anyone." I moaned, shoving my hands over my face.

I stood up and turned the kettle on, ready to make a hot drink.

"I do need to tell someone though. Keeping it bottled up is going to kill me. Ugh, what if it gets spread across the island though? What do I do? I know, the next person I see, regardless of who they are, will get to know my secret." I talked to myself.

"That's such a childish way to do it though?" I argued back.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter does it? Telling one random person is better than telling no one right?" I snapped back.

"I swear to the goddess, if someone walks past right now, they'll think I'm crazy for arguing with myself." I sighed, pouring the now boiling water into a mug to make tea.

I poured milk into the cup and swirled the contents before thumping it down onto my small, wooden table. Instead of waiting for my drink to cool, I downed it in one and seriously scalded my tongue. In an attempt to give myself some air and clear my head, I made my way to the beach; hoping not to bump into anyone. Lying on my stomach, I embraced the warm sand. I closed my eyes and completely relaxed myself, clearing away everything that was bothering me. For some reason me and the beach seem pretty compatible aside from the fact I can't swim. A heavy weight plonked onto my back causing my eyes to bulge open and the air in my lungs to be crushed out.

"Whoever the fuck that is, get off. NOW." I wheezed, struggling to catch my breath.

As soon as they jumped up, I rolled over and sat up, instinctively placed my hands over my stomach as if to protect the little thing that I hated inside me. A figure loomed over me, chuckling slightly at my reaction causing a scowl to spread across my face.

"That wasn't funny." I started shouting, storming off the beach as I did so.

"Chelsea wait! I was just having some fun." A panicky voice replied, following me off the beach.

I reached my farm and was about to slam my door when a foot shoved its way through.

"Chelsea." The voice whined, "Look, I'm sorry. It was just a joke. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Well if you knew what I know then it wasn't very fucking funny." I practically shouted back.

"What d'you mean?" Vaughn asked, a confused expression spread across his face.

"I, uh. Nothing, it doesn't matter." I said, shaking my head and throwing my hands all over the place to emphasise my point.

"You can trust me Chelsea." He began. "I wouldn't tell a soul. You already know that."

"I can't tell you though. I'm afraid of what you would think about me after. It really doesn't matter."

"Chelsea. Please? It wouldn't change the way I thought about you. It would have to be something pretty fucking major to do that, like if you weren't who you said you were." He stared at me, making our eyes meet.

My mind flicked back to Claire and I gulped a little. That would have to be bottled up and locked out forever then. Not that I cared much.

"It doesn't matter, it's nothing. You wouldn't like it anyway." I said, dropping my gaze and walking away from the cowboy.

"Chelsea." he growled, his voice sounding urgent. He grabbed hard onto my arm, spinning me around.

"Fine. Go sit down."

I followed him round and plopped down onto the sofa next to him.

"Well. You know how the island flooded a while back? I know you weren't there for it but I'm sure Jules or Mirabelle told you. Anyway, because of the flooding, Denny couldn't stay in his shack and asked if he could stay here to which I agreed with."

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Vaughn butted in, his hands curled into tight fists by his sides. "I swear down, if he did then he might want to start running." He snarled out, getting ready to stand.

"No, he didn't hurt me, well, not exactly. But this is partly his fault."

Vaughn nodded, uncurling his hands and settling down onto the sofa once more.

"We both ended up getting drunk together and one thing lead to another and apparently we did some stupid stuff. None of which I can remember but well, now I'm uh. I'm pr… preg…. Pregnant and uhm, it's his." I stuttered out, clutching my stomach tightly.

I watched his eyes widen in dismay as the news sunk in.

"You mean that bastard took advantage of you? I swear to goddess I am going to rip his guts out when I find him." He hissed, a look of rage covering his face.

He instantly calmed though. "I'm sorry bout earlier then, it could've damaged the thing." He said, pointing to my belly. "Is that why you went to the city then? To go see the doctor? And why you were throwing up?"

I nodded slowly, a wave of disgust about myself hitting me.

"I'm sorry. This is disgusting isn't it? I bet you're judging me for it, thinking I'm some kind of common slut. Well I'm not. Do you really think I want this bloody thing growing inside of me? Because I don't. The whole concept is just wrong. I want to just rip It out of me and get rid of it but I can't." I shouted, sobbing a little.

"Chelsea. I don't think of you as any different. I didn't know you even drank so for you to have gotten drunk something serious must have happened right? That means HE took advantage of you when you were at your weakest." He reasoned.

"Mhm, maybe." I muttered.

I stood nervously by the doorway as I watched Vaughn leave. I couldn't bring myself to ask him where he was going because if he was heading to the shack I'd have to pretend I cared and try and stop him. But I don't, so I didn't.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

Something about Chelsea's situation infuriates me. He is so dead when I get my hands on him. I stormed to his shack and barged in.

"WHAT THE FUCK." I screamed, red in the face.

I was so angry I was surprised steam didn't fly out my ears like the cartoons.

"Whoa dude, calm down?" Denny asked, his voice surprisingly calm.

"CALM DOWN? I DON'T THINK I'LL CALM DOWN ANY TIME SOON. YOU ARE A COMPLETE AND UTTER SON OF A BITCH." I yelled, throwing my fist out at him

Denny looked at me startled when my hand came into contact with his nose causing blood to pour out. "I don't understand what I've done wrong?" he muttered before yelping at my punch to his stomach.

"DOES TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CHELSEA SOUND FAMILIAR?" I spat out through clenched teeth.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." He yelled back.

I didn't even bother answering him again. My fist flew into his face and stomach a couple more times; definitely breaking his nose, giving him a black eye and leaving bruises. In return he had given me a fat lip, bloody, but not broken, nose and probably a black eye. I dodged his last throw just as some blonde chick came wandering in, her mouth flying open.

"I really hope you're fucking happy with yourself Denny." I snarled before sloping off across the beach.

She hadn't told him had she? Or anyone. In fact I knew I was the only one she told. Goddess knows how she would try to hide it later on but for now if she wanted me to I'd play dumb and stick up for her if she needed me to. Hell I'd probably do most things for her if she wanted me to and I hated that aspect. I'm a different, nicer person to how I was before meeting her. Maybe that's a good thing? I sometimes find myself smiling at work or being nice to people which is odd as everyone notices and they drive me up the wall pointing it out. It makes my skin crawl to know that he took advantage of her. I could've killed him if Lana didn't appear. And to think that she has to carry his baby around everywhere she goes. Ugh. She'll never want a guy like me now, ever. This will end up having more problems than solutions if I carry on liking her the way I do. Maybe if I try to block my feelings out they'll slowly fade.

I stormed into the animal shop and was greeted by a busty blonde staring me up and down.

"What's wrong Vaughn?" she asked innocently. "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing." I huffed before slouching down on the sofa.

"Let me sort it for you."

I watched her disappear and then reappear five minutes later with an ice pack, water and tissue.

"Put this over your eye." She instructed, whilst she scrubbed away at the blood trickling down my face.

"There, all better now." she smiled.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"Now, what's wrong? You look pretty irritated about something."

"Nothing." I repeated.

"I bet your problem begins with a C right?" she said, waggling her eyebrows at me.

"No." I grumbled, annoyed.

"Are you sure Chelsea isn't bothering you?" she giggled.

"Huh? What'd you mean?" I asked.

"Look, I can see that you like her. You're nearly always with her and she's the only person you ever talk to. Honestly, take it from someone who knows, she likes you too Vaughn so stop doubting yourself, okay?" She smiled sweetly at me before walking away.

I'm sure what she said wasn't true, but Chelsea was a close friend right? So that means Julia knew what she was talking about. I wouldn't even know what to do if she did like me though. Girls are frustrating.

* * *

**A/N: Julia shouldn't stir things up ;D haha. And you guys were right with him being angry, but then I can hardly blame him… I already know how this baby thing will pan out so you guys will just have to wait and see what happens mwhaha XD. Also, if things start to move a little faster it's because I promised myself that Mark would appear by chapter 30. XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading! **


	26. Lists

"Good morning monster." I sighed.

I stretched and yawned before hopping out of bed and rubbing my hard lump of a stomach. I was painful and achy all over, not that that would stop me from working though.

"Can't you just stop growing in there or something please?" I moaned, giving my stomach a good prod as I did.

I shuffled over to the full length mirror I owned and stared back at my reflection. Apart from the deep purple bags under my eyes I looked okay. I never slept properly anymore so it was understandable for the bags to appear, making my eyes loose what little life they had. My dreams are plagued by nightmares of my accidents – each and every one of them hitting me hard and fast like tiny blades slicing through my skin. It's become so bad that if I don't knock myself out with pills I won't sleep at all. I'm not sure what scares me the most though these haunting nightmares allowing me to relive my past every night or my over consumption of little blue pills.

My gaze trailed down to my stomach where a small growing bulge stood instead of my once smooth stomach. It takes two and a half seasons for a baby to be born and this thing – monster, was growing far too quickly for my liking. To be fair I was approximately 3 and a bit weeks pregnant so it was to be expected although it was getting harder to cover up as my once loose clothes were now almost too tight. Okay, so it was slightly insensitive for me to call this little life Monster but well, that's how I saw it to be brutally honest.

I shuffled my way over to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. Sipping it, I take note of what I have to do today:

"Watering, Harvesting, Brushing, Milking, Petting, Feeding and I think that's it." I rejoiced, happy to see the list so small.

I practically skipped outside; watering can in hand and headed for my crops.

"Hello little plaaantts." I sang, drenching them in much needed water.

After three hours of pulling up Carrots and harvesting various other crops I quickly tended to Magic.

'Now everything's done, what do I do?' I asked myself.

Undecidedly, I made my way towards the beach, bumping into Natalie.

"Hey." She said, offering me an odd look as she eyed me up and down; making me feel on edge.

"Hi." I smiled back, giving her the biggest grin I could possible muster.

"I was just coming to see you actually. This came from the shipping collection." She said, handing me a brown envelope.

"Thanks." I nodded shooting off towards the direction of my little house.

I tore open the letter, eager to read the contents.

_My little sister, Claire, _

_I'm coming to the island – your island next week. I'm catching the Tuesday ferry from the city and so will be there in the early hours of Wednesday. It's just that I can't take it being at home any longer. The way they speak of this goddess damned child that needs all the love and care it can get drives me insane. They haven't even picked the little child up from the care home yet. Ugh. The walls are all blank with each and every photo that used to hang being replaced by empty space. I needed to let you know sooner rather than later as I know how you like being prepared. I honestly can't wait to see you because I've missed you so much._

_Lots of love _

_Mark_

_Ps- you better have cookies and milk ready for me when I arrive or I won't be happy, okay?!_

I bit my lip nervously. Wednesday? That was a week from today. Excitement raced through me as I pushed my way to Julia's. I had to tell someone he was coming after all right?

"Juliaa." I called out. "Are you in?"

"Chels I'm in the kitchen, come through."

I frowned a little at the word kitchen… she couldn't cook at all.

"What are you cooking?" I asked curiously, inhaling the rather threatening smell being given off from the black smoke inside the oven.

"Well, I was trying to cook stir fried veggies from some of the ingredients Pierre gave me but I don't think it's worked." She said, biting her lip.

"Uh, I'm sure stir fried Veggies are fried in a frying pan?" I questioned, trying my hardest not to laugh.

"That's what I said but she wouldn't listen." A familiar voice rather plainly stated.

I whipped my head around practically giving myself whiplash only to meet the gaze of my favourite cowboy.

"When did you get here?"

"Well, if you hadn't noticed, it is Wednesday after all. I thought you of all people would know that I come to the islands on a Wednesday." He retorted sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Shut up you." I laughed jokingly. "Julia if you want ill make the dish for you?" I asked.

The blonde pouted a little before walking out the room, giving me a sneaky wink as she turned around and left. I started shredding the cabbage pieces until they were of all reasonable sizes. I chucked the cabbage pieces into the heated oil and tossed it around a bit. Whilst I carried on chucking other ingredients in, Vaughn loomed over me, a weird look plastered across his face.

"How's the thing?" He struggled, looking anywhere but at me.

"Oh, Monster? It's good I guess, as you can probably tell." I said, hesitantly lifting up the bottom of my shirt to show him.

His eyes lingered on my stomach for a while longer before I dropped my shirt again.

"Does it move?" He asked, still staring at my, now clothed, little bump.

"Uhm, not that I've felt." I muttered out, feeling uncomfortable. "Julia." I shouted. "Come here, it's done."

She strolled in and peered at the properly cooked vegetables in the pan. "Thanks Chels, you're the best." She said, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Oh, now that that's done, I have something to tell you." I beamed. "I got another letter from Mark and he's coming to the island next week!" I practically shrieked.

I saw Vaughn seize up at the mention of Mark, a scowl appearing on his face.

"Who's Mark?" he growled, sounding upset.

"My brother! I haven't seen him in forever."

I smiled a little when he relaxed again. 'Well that was weird.' I thought to myself, wondering if Julia had just witnessed the same as me.

"That's great." She cried. "Well, I gotta go give this to Elliot. Bye guys." She gave me a knowing look as she walked out the door.

"D'you think you'll keep it?" Vaughn asked, resuming the conversation earlier.

"Well, I'm not aborting it if that's what you're asking. Goddess knows what will happen to it when it's born though." I shrugged, flinching at the thought of labour and the pain I would endure.

"Is Denny still clueless?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen him properly since that night where… uhm… he doesn't have to know." I stuttered.

"Isn't that a bit unfair on him. I mean as much as I really hate his guts right now, he at least has the right to know that he's going to be a fucking dad." Vaughn stated.

I nodded before turning to wash up.

"Come on." Vaughn said, grabbing my wrist. "You have to get this over and done with now."

I let him drag me to the beach and waited patiently as he banged and then opened Denny's house.

"Denny, I need to tell you something." I started, strolling into the main room.

I stopped dead in my tracks, shocked to see Denny and Lana practically eating each other's faces off. They hadn't even registered that we'd barged in. Rather than witness anymore, I quickly left and walked along the shore front, feeling a little hurt.

"He moves on quickly." Vaughn insisted, relief filled his voice.

"See, he doesn't need to know." I stated.

Vaughn paused and pulled me to a halt next to him.

"Chelsea?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do you like Denny? I mean, more than a friend?"

"Nope." I shrugged. "I have my eye on someone else. He's different to the other guys here. He makes me smile and laugh a lot and makes me feel myself around him, in fact I can BE myself around him despite the embarrassing encounters we've shared. He's really handsome and has the most amazing smile although he doesn't smile much. I've started to miss him when he's not around and the thought of him keeps driving me crazy. I already know that he would never consider me as something more than a friend though." I smiled, blushing a hell of a lot as I listed off some of my favourite things about the cowboy stood in front of me.

A disappointed look spread across his face and he looked slightly hurt.

"Well, I hope you two will someday be very happy together. He seems to have such a strong effect on you without even knowing it." He blankly stated.

"Yeah, he does." I blushed turning even redder than I was before.

"Well, I guess I'll be going, see ya." He murmured, turning away from me to stroll back down the beach.

"You're an idiot Vaughn." I yelled after him.

I smiled as I realised how clueless he was about my feelings towards him and how he didn't realise everything I'd listed was about him. He was indeed an idiot.

* * *

**A/N: Awh, They're both so clueless, it's adorable! :') haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry they keep getting shorter and shorter. I promise the next one will be longer! And sorry about my suckish endings too haha. Anyway, thanks for reading, see you at the next update guys! :3**


	27. Nightmare

I snuggled into my duvet, enjoying the feeling of the soft blankets draped over my face. I didn't have to take the sleeping pills tonight because the thought of the cowboy being here put my mind at ease.

_The stench of burnt rubber and the sickly smell of blood filled my nostrils whilst piercing screams filled the silent air. Flashes of light blinded my confused eyes, frightening me further._

"_Where's Mommy?" _

I woke up drenched in sweat and tears; another sickening scream pushed its way out of my throat.

"It's just a dream Chels. Nothing to worry about, everything's fine, okay." I murmured, rocking myself back and forth.

After attempting to comfort myself I decided to get up and walk about. I shivered as the cold air nipped against my exposed skin. I was, after all, in my tight, barely fitting, pyjamas, which failed to cover up my expanded stomach. The waistband of my pyjama bottoms rubbed uncomfortably against my skin as I walked towards the mesmerising beach. I just stood in the sand, watching as the waves crashed violently against the shore.

"The sky's so pretty tonight." I breathed, staring up at the stars twinkling vividly amongst the sky.

The illuminate yellow of the moon shone brightly, lighting up the rest of the sky with it.

"What are you doing up?" Vaughn's voice asked.

I whipped my head around and gave him a sad smile. "Couldn't sleep, bad dreams I guess." I shrugged. "Why are you up?"

"I heard a scream and thought I'd check it out. Sounded like someone was being murdered."

"Oh…" I muttered, gazing up at the stars.

"The scream came from you didn't it?" He asked.

I gave him a little nod, shivering crazily.

"You must be freezing, I mean you're barely covered and it's the dead of night. Here, take my jacket." He said, handing me his beloved black jacket.

I gladly accepted it and draped it over me, grateful for the warmth it provided.

"Mmm, it smells like you." I smiled, letting myself breath in the grassy scent given off.

"That's a good thing?" He questioned.

"Yeah, you always smell so good. I love your scent." I chattered, pressing my nose further into the leathery fabric.

I watched as he pulled his hat over his eyes. "Thanks."

"We should probably get you inside before you catch a cold though."

"Okay." I nodded.

He pulled me close and wrapped his arm protectively around my waist, resting his head slightly against mine as we made our way to my house. He made sure that I got in safely and tucked me into bed like some little kid.

"I'll be going then, bye." He grunted.

"Please don't leave me." I pleaded desperately, afraid.

"I, uh, why?" He questioned.

"I don't want to be alone. It sounds stupid but I'm kinda afraid to fall asleep." I yawned.

"Oh, okay. What's scared you enough to make you not fall asleep?"

"It's a touchy subject." I shrugged. "I don't really want to explain it but my dreams are full of death and flash backs."

He went silent for a second considering his options before sitting himself down on the end of my bed.

"I don't bite, y'know." I laughed. "Come here." I said, beckoning him over with a finger.

"Do you want me to leave once you've fallen asleep or?..." He trailed off.

"No, please stay." I smiled really big, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Okay. One second then."

He disappeared into the bathroom for a couple of minutes before returning without his cowboy attire. He stood in front of me in just his boxers and the black t-shirt he wore underneath his shirt.

"I'm surprised you don't overheat in the summer, you wear too much black and way too many layers." I exclaimed.

He just grunted as he tucked himself under my spare blanket on my bed.

"You're really warm." I sleepily said, snuggling into him.

I scooted over so my head rested on his chest. There was little space between us causing my little bump to be pressed against him.

"Night Vaughn." I sleepily smiled.

"Night."

* * *

I woke early, surprised to see Vaughn still here and fast asleep. I peered up at his face, his mouth slightly open and a totally peaceful expression remained.

'He looks so adorable asleep.' I thought.

"Your stomach moved whilst you were sleeping." Vaughn stated, shattering the silence and making me jump.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"No, I woke up first and didn't want to disturb you as you looked so comfortable asleep."

"Wait, my stomach moves?" I questioned upon realising what he had previously said.

"Yeah. It was annoying to say the least." He muttered under his breath.

"Oh. We should probably get up now before Julia and Mirabelle wonder where you are."

"That's true."

We rushed around getting ready for the day, him getting changed into his cowboy stuff and I shoving my farming gear on and running around like a crazy woman watering my crops and tending to Magic. He had already left when I came back in so I decided to make my way over to Julia's.

"Chelsea." She yelled.

"Hi Jules." I smiled

I walked over and plopped down on the counter with a heavy thud, watching her wash the dirty dishes. A silence crept between us before she finally spoke.

"Vaughn was in a strop yesterday afternoon. He came stomping in and slammed every door he touched. I wonder what was with him?" Julia said, sharing her thoughts with me.

"Oh… that might have been my fault." I started. "We were on the beach talking and he asked me something which lead onto a conversation about the guy I like on the islands. I listed off my favourite things about the cowboy and he looked pretty distraught as if it was about someone else. He's an idiot. Ugh, what if I've upset him because he thinks it was someone else? Now what do I do?" I complained.

"Looks like someone's got the love bug pretty bad, hey?" Julia mocked.

"I have not. I just like him a little that's all." I grinned.

"He really needs to acknowledge that you like him too. I mean, you guys will be so cute together, it needs to happen soon or I will just have to intervene." She chuckled, dropping the plate she was drying onto the floor.

It clattered loudly as it fell, breaking apart and flying into tiny fragments upon hitting the floor. The little pieces danced along the floor, spreading themselves across the kitchen tiles.

"Mum's going to kill me for this." Julia muttered, attempting to sweep away all evidence of the floral plate.

"Oh Julia, I gotta go see Gannon, sorry."

"Oh, bye."

I walked amongst the dirt paths until I reached to Gannon's house.

"Hey Gannon." I squeaked, alarmed by the size of him. It had been a very long time since I had last seen him and so he still frightened me slightly despite his loving nature.

"Chelsea. Long time no see, huh? What can I do for you little lady?"

"Well, is it possible to have an extra room built onto my house?" I asked.

"Sure, what for?"

"My brothers coming to stay for a while and so I'd rather he stay with me than in the hotel! I haven't seen him in such a long time." I explained.

"Sure thing."

We worked out the costs of material and labour and I gladly handed over the money so Gannon could work straight away.

"It'll take 3 days to finish, you should look forward to the final product." He smiled.

"Alright, thanks." I smiled.

As I had time, I wandered into the forest. The crisp clean air surrounded me whilst the orange, reds and yellows crunched underfoot. I sat down on the ground and allowed myself to think about the current situation I was stuck in and how the hell I was going to find the time to tell Denny everything without ripping his head off.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's short and it's just a filler :3 but I typed this up quickly as I've just come back from work and I'm knackered.i couldn't leave you guys with nothing though! I've been pretty busy too, with my prom Thursday, working this weekend and my birthday on Monday. I'll try to update tomorrow but I can't guarantee anything, sorry! It'll either be tomorrow or tueday when I update next but I'll try to make it exceptionally long for you guys! :3. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm trying my best to make the story good ^.^**


	28. Telling

I stared down at my little budding stomach and sighed to myself, Denny really ought to know about this mess sooner rather than later. I quickly made up my mind and determinedly marched my way through the muddy island onto the crisp, clean sand. The autumn sea air tousled at my hair as I made my way towards the two figures perched on the edge of the dock. The truth was, and I know it's really obvious but I didn't t really want to tell Denny about the pregnancy although sooner or later things are going to have to come spilling out before this thing spills out of me. Maybe he'll ask me to abort it as things with him and Lana seem to be going well. Who knows? I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

I approached the smiling couple and planted myself in the small space between the two. A confused and a somewhat annoyed face both stared at me as I stared out to sea.

"Hey guys." I said plainly, itching to get this over with.

"Hi Chels, it's been so long, hasn't it. Why haven't you been to see me properly, sooner hey?" My curly haired 'friend' gushed out, a gigantic grin plastered all over his tan face.

"I did try to visit but you've been way too busy with Lana to notice anything."

"Oh." He said, pausing. "Well, wanna go inside with us and get a drink?" He asked.

"Okay then." I smiled, pulling myself up from the wooden boards beneath me.

We walked across the sand in a bitter silence, Denny walking in between us two girls. Lana walked with her mouth gaping open, a jealous expression hidden within her facial features whilst I awkwardly walked alongside, playing with my fingers. As we arrived at the door she stared at me with an open mouth, about to make an excuse of some sort to try and get rid of me when I butted in.

"Nope. Don't even try to get rid of me Lana, I have something important to speak to Denny about so if you wouldn't mind leaving, that would be great." I said bluntly.

I gave her a sickly sweet smile as I spoke which obviously wound her up. With a huff and slight protest she angrily left, giving me sneaky side glares as she went.

"What d'you mean, you have something to talk to me about?" Denny curiously asked. "Nobody ever has anything important to tell me, ever."

"Well, it's very fucking important and a very personal matter." I said through gritted teeth.

"Okay." He nodded; a tinge of excitement in his voice.

"Sit." I demanded. "And don't interrupt or I'll go mental." I growled.

"Right." He said, giving me an intrigued, curious look.

"Now, where do I begin..." I started. "D'you remember when the island flooded a couple of weeks ago and you stayed at mine?" I asked.

Not bothering to wait for his reply, I continued. "Well that night when we ended up drinking together didn't end so well…"

I stopped and glanced over at him sitting in the corner, a worried look showing.

"So, neither of us could remember what actually happened but well, let's just say my body does remember." I cringed a little at the words that slipped out of my mouth, it sounded stupid.

"Basically, to get to the point here, we slept together. I'm pregnant and you're the baby's father." I blurted out, well aware of the weird looks I was being given.

"Are, are you sure?" Denny asked, his voice breaking a little.

"What are you implying?" I snarled, stepping closer to the man. "That I'm some kind of slapper sleeping around? Or that my ever expanding stomach is just fat, not carrying a tiny baby at all."

"Woah, Chelsea, calm down." Denny said smoothly, brushing his fingers gingerly against my arm.

"Sorry. It's just you're the only guy I've slept with before so what I'm saying is true and there is a baby in here because I went to the clinic about it."

"You're not thinking of aborting it, are you?" He whispered, his soft breath tickling my face.

"I, well uh. I don't know Den. I really can't keep it can I? You have Lana now and it wouldn't be fair on her to have this little thing stuck in the middle. It wouldn't be fair on the baby either not to have both its parents around all the time."

"Well, he can have his parents around all the time, okay? We WILL make this work, you'll see." He promised, a smile budding on his lips. "You and this baby are more important than Lana would ever be, I'll be here for you from now on, no matter what." He grinned.

Inwardly I groaned, this wasn't what I had hoped for. Now I'm going to have a clingy fisherman and a jealous, supposedly famous blonde irritating me until this thing's born, brilliant.

"Mmm, I guess." I mumbled out.

"You don't hate me because of this, do you?" He asked uncertainly. "Because you've spent a lot of time avoiding me and I've been wondering what I've done wrong." He trailed off.

"At first I hated you, I hated you so goddess damned much; in fact I wanted to bloody kill you. But standing here, now, I don't at all. It's not all your fault that we're in this situation because it takes two to tango. I'm sorry for avoiding you, it's just been a very long couple of weeks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner either, I haven't really wanted too or been given a chance really." I shrugged, staring down at the floor.

"It's okay. I can totally understand everything." He beamed, showing his big, white, pearly teeth.

I gave him a reassuring grin, glad to see that he was so happy about the situation we were stuck together in.

"Hey, you mind if I y'know, touch your tummy to see if I can feel our baby inside?" He nervously asked.

I shrugged, what harm could it possible do, and lifted up my tops. As soon as his hands found themselves onto my belly, the little life inside of me stirred; almost knowingly. It wasn't a kick, it was just the baby turning about inside the womb but it was the first movement I had felt whilst being awake. It was the weirdest thing I had felt before and it made my heart flutter. Beneath all the hatred I had built up was a tiny amount of undying love for this little thing, something so beautiful and unexpected that it would be so hard to explain to another person. I shared an unknowing bond with the baby which had kept itself hidden, waiting for the right moment to hit me hard with these overwhelming feelings.

"Ahhh, Chels, our baby moved." He practically shouted, excitement rippling through his voice.

"He did, didn't he? That was the first time I've been awake and felt monster move." I chuckled, amazed by the emotions running through me.

"Monster?" he questioned.

"Oh, a silly nickname I'd given the baby. I used to hate it like I hated you but now I don't think I do." I said, dazed.

"Oh, okay." he nodded. "We are going to be the best parents ever." He cried, seemingly happy.

"Mmm." I mumbled out.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"Oh, well. Yeah." I awkwardly said. "Vaughn knows. But that was only because I needed to tell someone so they could help me go through the feelings that raced through my mind. That and the fact that he found me in the city after my trip to the clinic. Den, do you mind if we keep it a secret please? Until the bump's no longer easy to hide. I just can't bear having people ask me questions at the minute." I stopped.

"That's fine. I'm glad you're keeping it and that you've told me." He beamed.

Man, he really can't stop smiling now can he?

"Just remember, you have to eat as our baby is reliant on you, okay? And please don't work too hard and put yourself under stress. I don't want you to hurt yourself either okay?" He said, pulling me closer and resting his hands on my still exposed stomach.

"Quit worrying, I'll be fine." I said, shrinking away from his touch. "Now I have to get going or Lana will kill me even more than she wants to right now." I smiled, tugging down at my tight top.

"Oh, stuff Lana. Stay for as long as you like." He smiled.

Being the lazy person I often am, I plonked myself onto one of his many purple cushions and made myself comfortable; much preferring this offered option than having to leave and walk all the way back to my farm. Besides, it had just started raining heavily.

* * *

In the end I stayed at Denny's for a couple more hours, talking about everything baby like.

"Hmm, well, how about Marlin?" Denny suggested.

I sighed, that wasn't great. Why couldn't he choose better names? All of his thirty thousand previous suggestions weren't great names in my opinion. We both knew the baby wouldn't be here in another season or so but why not kill the awkwardness and come up with names together?

"Oh, I know! What about uh, Issac?" He asked, giving me the puppy dog eyes.

"Issac? I like that, it's cute." I smiled. "But what about if it's a girl? Issac wont sound so great then." I laughed.

He groaned a little. "A girl, but girls are so much hard work. I mean you have boy drama, crazy hormones and image issues when they grow older. I might not be able to cope with all of that." He cried out, shoving his face in his hands as a protest to the thought.

That made me laugh, a lot. He was right though bless him.

"Well, I better get going whilst the rain has stopped." I smiled. "I'm glad you're so happy about everything though, it gives me hope for the future." My hand slipped down and rested against my bump. "And before you lecture me again, yes, I'll take care of myself, okay."

"Okay. Just remember, I'm always here for you and the baby now. Make sure you come and visit often too, or I won't be impressed. It would be nice to know how the bumps getting on." He paused, thinking of something else to say. "Oh, please let me come to your scans when they're arranged. I'd love to see how are baby's growing inside there." He smiled, his big brown eyes softening to show excitement dance through them.

"Of course. Well I'll see you tomorrow probably, bye."

He rushed over to my side and pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the top of my head he pulled away, I watched as he knelt down and rubbed his hand over the little baby. Gently pulling the top up, he presented a small kiss to my stomach.

"Daddy will see you soon so don't grow too big okay? I don't want to miss a thing. And stay healthy, you hear me." He whispered lovingly, giving the bump another kiss before stepping up.

"Bye Chels, see you soon." He waved.

"Bye."

Oh my goddess, I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. That was the cutest scene I had ever seen. And I couldn't believe how cool he had been about everything too. It had hope glimmering inside me to know that he cared so much. Maybe this would be a good thing for both of us then?

I went straight home and ate something before taking sleeping pills to help me drift off.

* * *

After doing my chores, I rushed off down the muddy, old path straight to Julia's.

"JULIAAA." I yelled. "TOMORROW'S WEDNESDAY, Mark's coming TOMORROW!" I screeched excitedly.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this feels like it's been forever since I've updated although it was only Saturday (I think, haha.) So there you guys go, Denny knows. I'm sorry if he seems out of character, but this is exactly how I pictured him so yeah XD. Ohhh, next update will be exciting I hope ^.^ what, with Mark coming and stuff. I hope this chapter was okay, I found it fun to write haha ;P. Thanks for reading, see you guys next time **


	29. Mark's arrival

_**Vaughn's P.O.V:**_

I got on the boat like usual, surprised when I wasn't the only one to board it from the city. This time another man who looked vaguely familiar clambered on in front of me. He had bleach blonde hair untidily tamed by a blue cap. His overall farming appearance made him stand out from the rest of the people on board like a sore thumb, just like me. I sat down in my usual red seat at the ships bar and downed a couple of whisky shots. Everything felt better after my weekly shot. I was actually looking forward to visiting the island for once. I wanted to see Chelsea's innocent face and stroke her long brown locks. I wanted to make her mine but with this baby and everything else maybe she won't be interested. I didn't think she was interested anyway. Julia seems convinced that she was though so maybe I really do have a chance? I seriously hope so. This girl has made me go all soft and mushy inside. I'm more of an emotional wreck than well composed like I used to be. The blonde kid came and sat himself next to me, staring.

"What's your problem?" I snarled, unimpressed by the sudden attention. I mean, I know people stare, let's be honest who wouldn't stare if some guy was dressed like a fricken cowboy in front of them? But having someone so closed and staring me up and down was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Nice get up, cowboy." He laughed.

There was no sarcasm lurking in his voice which surprised me. I only ever received sarcastic comments about my choice of clothing.

"The names Mark." He boldly stated, extending his hand towards me.

"Vaughn." I grunted, warily shaking his offered hand.

"So, where are you heading? I'm heading off to Sunshine islands to see my sister. It's been a long time." The blonde said, his voice quivering and full of emotion.

Normally people like him piss me off with their way too bubbly personalities and their 'I think everyone wants to know everything about me' attitude but this guy had me strangely fascinated especially since he mentioned the island.

"I'm heading to the island too. I work there on Wednesdays and Thursdays as an animal dealer although there isn't much work for me at the moment."

"Oh, so you know the farmer? Claire? That's my sister." He proudly said.

Claire? I didn't know a Claire? There wasn't one living on the island. What the hell was he on about?

"Oh, I don't think I know a Claire." I plainly stated.

I was glad to reach the island and escape Mark and his forever on going speech.

A smile played on my lips as Chelsea came running into my arms.

"Vaughn. I've missed you."

Those words had me chuckling, Julia had to be right. Just out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a purple bandana heading back towards his shack. Had she told him yet?

I found my thoughts tumbling out of my mouth but felt relieved to say the least when she finally admitted she'd told him. About bloody time too. I subconsciously rubbed the growing thing, noting that it had definitely gotten bigger since last time.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I sat in the sand a little way away from the dock huddled into a purple checked blanket next to a sleeping Denny. The boat would be here in the early hours of the morning so all I could do now is wait. The day had gone way too slowly for my liking and I had found myself clock watching and fidgety for most of the day; itching for tomorrow to hurry up. Denny had insisted on staying with me for most of the day, much to Lana's disgust, ensuring I actually ate and that I didn't do anything more than my farm work. He was like a cling on and no matter what I tried he wouldn't shake off. It was annoying but well, it was sweet too I guess. He's given me more attention today than I've received throughout my childhood, bless him. Despite everything that's happened between us, I have gained a lot of respect towards him because of this really sweet, almost protective, recently accumulated behavior towards me. It gave me more than enough hope for the future.

I rested my head against Denny's shoulder and focused my gaze on the forever moving sea, crashing against the extended shore line. My eyes widened at the sight of the tiniest shadow heading towards the island. I was up on my feet, jumping and waving before my body even had time to register my excited, jerky movements. I would have screamed if I knew there was no one about but I had much more respect for my sleepy islanders to want to wake them this early in the morning. My movements made my sleepy friend stir and stare at me in confusion for a while.

"What's going on? Where am I?" He yawned.

"At the beach. Mark's almost here." I beamed.

The boat continued its snail like pace, drawing nearer and nearer to the docks. The familiar clunk of the boat hitting the wood filled my ears as the captain's words pierced the heavy silence.

"Stopping at Sunshine island. All those on board need to get off here. We're stopping for the night. Thank you."

I stared intently at the people who walked off the boat, looking for any tale tell signs of Mark. Rather than continue to stare hopefully at the silhouetted shapes of people, I bounded over to my favourite cowboy.

"Vaughn. I've missed you." I exclaimed as I pulled him into a hug.

A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he returned the hug. I could feel a frown make itself known on his face as we stood there like idiots hugging each other.

"Does he know? Does Denny know?" He asked, swiftly moving his hand from my waist to my tiny bump, rubbing the growing life.

"Yeah and now he won't leave me alone." I complained.

I stopped myself from going on as the last passenger made his way off the boat. I stumbled out of Vaughn's embrace and onto a clear patch of sand where I collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed to say the least.

"MARK." I yelled out from my spot in the sand, waving my hands in the air.

"CLAIREEE." He screeched.

"MARKKKK. I've missed you soo fucking much." I cried out as he bounded towards me, arms open wide.

I flew into them, gladly smelling the familiar scents stuck on his clothes from the farm, home.

"It's been too long." He replied, pushing me arm's length away so he could study me in the poor moon light surrounding us.

"You look so well, maybe a bit chubbier since last time but that's good. Sorry to point that out but it's true." He said. "Your hair? Its not blonde anymore, awh, you don't look like mom anymore, you look more like auntie Jill oh, I mean, your mom. It really suits you. I've missed you so much." He gushed.

We walked back to my farm house and plonked ourselves on the sofa, ready for a good amount of catching up.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V:**_

The rest of the scene developing blurred in front of me as I stood confused. Why was he calling her Claire? That was Chelsea? What was going on?

The puzzle pieces clicked together as he mentioned hair colour, her being blonde. Claire… she was the girl from the photo I was shown. That same girl that Chelsea, if that was even her name, referred to as nobody. That nobody was Chelsea. She had spun us all into a twisted, sickening lie. Pissed was an understatement of how I felt. When I speak with her next she won't know what's hit her. Anger washed over me as I stormed back to the familiar surroundings of the animal shop. I didn't understand what Mark had meant about her not looking like 'mom' but like 'auntie Jill' – her mom. It didn't make sense. I wanted to find everything out. I wanted answers and I intended on getting them, one way or another.

* * *

**A/N: Two things: 1- Sorry this was so late, I was supposed to put it up yesterday but I went to the beach instead. 2- I feel this is a massive let down of a chapter, I'm so sorry! My writing skills are terrible :3- Sorry for complaining. It's really short too despite the fact that I promised to make it longer. On another note, I will be posting the next chapter for sure on Monday, I promise! **

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, see you at the next update! ^.^**


	30. Tears

**A/N: I just want to start off this by saying a massive thank you to all my reviewers, followers favouriters and readers. You guys have been an inspiration and have massively encouraged me to keep writing at my story when I thought it was failing and dead. I don't thank you guys enough! You guys are the best! :3. **

**With that announced, let the story continue…**

* * *

**Chelsea's P.O.V**

Mark and I didn't go to bed at all that night. Instead we fuelled ourselves with a dozen cups of caffeine filled coffees to bid farewell to our sleepy minds. My alarm clock buzzed, startling us both, announcing that it was 6 and therefore time to get ready for the day ahead. I groaned a little before shuffling towards the bathroom and shoving on my typical work attire. I stifled a moan at the messy sight of myself. Tangled, knotted hair took its place from my usual shiny, smooth brunette locks. My red bandanna sat proudly, the only thing that looked neat about me, on top of my head. 'It'll have to do for now.'

Without wasting another moment, I leapt into my farming, tending to Magic. Once I'd finished everything I headed back towards my little farm house.

"Hey Mark, I'm all finished now, let's go meet some people." I yelled, slamming the door behind me.

I waited a while for a reply, sweeping my eyes across the room. A small smile found its way to my face as my eyes settled on my bedside table of Mark and I.

"Huh, he must have gone out…"

Realisation swept through me after staring blankly at the photo for a few more seconds.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck. He doesn't know! They don't know!'

I hastily ran from the farm, searching for my blonde brother. I had no idea where he'd be. 'What to do, what to do? Oh…'

"Vaughn." I called, frantically rushing to the cowboys' side. "I need your help. Have you seen Mark recently?"

He stared right through me, a scowl consuming him. "Why should I help you?"

"Huh?" He'd confused me with that. Why was he suddenly being offish and cold towards me?

"Go away. I'm not in the mood to talk to you." He turned his back away from me and carried on towards his destination.

"Hey, what's your problem?" I asked, slightly pissed considering how fine, almost perfect, everything seemed last night.

"My problem is you." He turned to look at me, holding my gaze. "I HATE liars. Stupid, pathetic, little liars who weave their way into my life. I hate people who pretend to be something they're not. I don't know you at all, do I?" He spat out.

"I, I, d-don't understand?" I stuttered.

He spoke two single words filled with hurt and regret before storming off. "Claire, right?"

On the verge of tears, I shakily made my way back to the farm house, not bothering to continue my search for my brother. Shakily, I laid myself down on my bed and sobbed. This wasn't what I wanted. Yes, okay, I know that changing my name and not being 'officially' me was wrong but being Claire was too painful, too full of broken memories and shattered dreams for me to want to continue as, well, Me. I didn't want to have to explain my past that's why I became Chelsea. Effectively there were a thousand different reasons why Chelsea was and would always be a better person than Claire. Being Chelsea was good for me. to others I knew after Vaughn's reaction today that everyone else's would be twice as bad and then I'd be in the same position as before and I didn't want to run away from here anytime soon.

I carried on sobbing to myself, unaware of the knocks at the door.

"Chelsea? Are you okay? Hey, open your door." a familiar voice echoed through the sad, emptiness of my room.

I walked over to the wooden door and pulled it open, leaning myself against the door frame. I stared at the tanned man slightly looming over me, standing in my doorway. A somewhat worried look pierced his eyes as his eyes drifted over me.

"Oh, what do you want?" I asked innocently, rubbing my red, tear-stained face.

"Hey, stop crying. C'mere you."

He pulled me into a bear hug, holding me close.

"I'm sure everything will be okay." He whispered.

I pulled away and gave him a small, sad smile.

"Have you met Mark yet?" I asked curiously seeing as he seemed clueless about my new situation.

"Yeah, briefly. That's why I came here. He introduced himself as 'Claire's brother' so I'm guessing you're Claire then? Anyway, everyone's gotten pretty pissed with him, convinced he's lying as you're supposedly Chelsea and stuff. I wanted to give you a heads up about an 'angry mob' coming here to accuse and question you. I don't want you to get hurt or be stressed because you'll damage our baby and I know the villagers would hate themselves. C'mon, we need to go elsewhere whilst their anger dies down. This is the first place they'll come to look for you, and well, if they find you now it's not gonna be pretty, especially Natalie with her explosive anger issues..."

"Okay." I muttered, allowing him to drag me off somewhere.

We reached the top of the mountain and sat down in the dirt.

"This should be safe for a while. I don't think anyone but comes here so I doubt they'll bother us." He gave me a small smile before getting up and pacing about.

"Why are you being so nice?" I asked, puzzled.

"Because I like you. I don't care if you're Claire or Chelsea, blonde or brunette. You're just you. You obviously had your reasons for hiding stuff and if the others can't get over that then they're stupid." He smiled at me, a genuine one showing his big white teeth.

I smiled back, thankful to say the least.

We carried on chatting away for a while before the sound of footsteps crunching through the autumn leaves made themself noticeable. We both froze and spun around to face the person. Black boots were the first thing that I saw, followed by a too familiar outfit. I leapt up to greet him before stopping myself. I let my eyes search him before averting them back to the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Denny asked defensively.

"Let me talk to her. Alone?" He growled out.

"Fine, you have five minutes." He nodded, jogging off into the forest.

Vaughn cocked his head and looked at me. "Why?" He asked. "Why did you lie about everything? Was anything you've told me been the truth?"

"You wouldn't understand." I whispered. "I've spent my life being someone I hate. I lead a life full of pain and grief beforehand, I still do. But being Chelsea makes me feel better, my dreams are still plagued with nightmares, making me re-live my terrifying experiences night after night, but somehow Chelsea just makes all the pain seemingly go away. When I'm Chelsea I actually feel comfortable in my own skin, Claire's just too traumatised." I paused to look at him quickly.

"I know I'm a pathetic, little liar but it was better that way." I shrugged.

Silence swept around us for a minute before he wordlessly turned and left, leaving me tear stricken once again.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here's that chapter I promised **** Oh, a little side note, I'll be starting a new story soon alongside this one. I think it'll either be based on either Island of happiness again or maybe Animal Parade, it depends. Just thought I'd mention it in case any of you felt like checking it out when it comes out :3. Thanks for reading, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	31. Nobody likes a lying bitch

After more hours of what I decided was, pointless hiding, Denny finally took me home. He and I were both pleasantly surprised to see nobody here. As we were about to shut the door Julia's voice could be heard screaming down the small path connecting my farm to the main island.

"CHELSEA. WE NEED TO TALK NOW."

I watched as she marched right up to my house and barged her way in. I pointed to the sofa before sitting down and staring blankly at her.

"What d'you wanna talk about?" I asked stupidly. I knew what she wanted to discuss.

"So, none of us know you at all do we?"

"Oh, I, uhm, well, I guess not…" I trailed off, disappointed in myself.

"So you thought that by being someone different, it would make everything okay for you?"

"No!" I protested. "I had my reasons."

She cut me off and began speaking over me. "Well, listen hear. No one likes being lied to on this island. No one. I feel manipulated by you and your stupid lies. How much of anything you've ever said was true, huh? I don't think I'll be able to trust you again. Don't bother talking to me or the rest of the islanders because we don't want to know anymore, okay. Maybe it's best if you just leave?"

She stormed out of the house with tears brimming from her eyes, quickly followed by me, wanting to reason with her, find some kind of solution to this fucked up problem of mine.

"Julia wait. I can explain." I frantically cried out.

She ran into the animal shop and slammed the door in my face. Feeling unnerved I glanced around the staring, disappointed faces. Everyone looked at me like I was pure dirt that they could step all over. Instead of let them get to me, I tried to ignore them as I slowly trudged back home with my head hanging low. Natalie's voice filled my ears as I walked past their recently renovated house.

"Nobody likes a lying bitch."

I looked up to the pinkette and just shrugged my shoulders, trying to show that I didn't care. my act didn't last long though because as soon as she had her back turned my eyes were back to a watery state.

I was going to kill Mark when I got my hands on him.

Denny looked ever so hopeful when I walked through the door; like I'd magically made up with everyone in the 5 minutes I was gone. I shook my head and sunk down onto the sofa, placing my head in my hands.

"I'm sure everything will go back to normal." He reassured. "Trust me, most of the villagers are too happy to hate for long. I'll give it four days before everyone… excluding Natalie and Vaughn, will talk to you again."

I just shrugged. What was I supposed to say, anyway? Was I supposed to be happy that it would be four long, painful days before people decided to notice me again? I'd rather be invisible. I sat in silence for an hour before my brother flaunted in like nothing had happened.

"What the hell did you do?"

I threw a pillow from the sofa at his head- which hit him, as he stared unknowingly at me.

"What d'you mean? I introduced myself to the villagers. They were all strange by the way, claimed you were Chelsea or something. Anyway, I introduced myself to the villagers and then met the most amazing girl living in the forest. She was so beautiful with blonde wavy hair and bears everywhere." He paused for a second and sighed contently. "Ahh, the Witch Princess."

"You are a complete and utter idiot. You've ruined everything for me here now. I told everyone I was Chelsea to escape the pain and misery being CLAIRE brought me." I threw my hands up in the air in annoyance. "Now you've ruined EVERYTHING. No one will talk to me, I'm known as the lying little bitch. Do you know how that feels? I had enough self-hatred fuelling me because of my past and now I have a whole lot more just weighing me down. Fucking brilliant."

"Oh… I guess I have messed everything up pretty bad, haven't I? It's okay, I'll make them see sense. How can they hate on someone like you? You're so nice and you deserve to be appreciated more. They're idiots. Don't worry, your big brother's here to protect you."

I giggled as he winked at me and flexed his 'muscles' at me; also causing Denny- who Mark hadn't noticed before- to erupt into fits on the floor.

"Oh, sorry… Was I interrupting something?" He grinned, raising his eyebrows in a comical way to both of us.

"No. We're just friends, right Den?"

"Right." He blushed.

"Well you have Denny? So it's not that bad and I'm sure my new friend the witch princess would be more than happy to be befriended by you. It's not ALL bad."

"Don't think you'll be let off that easily, mister." I waggled my fingers at him. It's torture time, you ready?"

I pounced on him and tickled his sides as much as I could before both him and Denny turned and jumped on me, tickling me everywhere possible. I was left in stiches on the floor, unable to contain my maniac laughing. I doubled over clutching my sides to try and regain some lost breath. As I huffed and puffed away, I was pleased to see the two boys happily chatting away. At least someone was making friends.

I stretched out and yawned before grabbing my pyjamas and heading towards the bathroom to get changed. Once I was all done, I happily announced that we were all going to watch some horror film as there was nothing more to do. With Saw ready to play and a bowl of popcorn positioned on the table, I snuggled comfortably in the middle of the two boys.

"Well, this just makes things a little better." I yawned, trying to keep my eyes glued to the telly. A particularly gruesome scene began playing making Denny and I shrink into the sofa and cower into one another whilst Mark just sat there laughing, completely unfazed by it. He was always a weird child growing up…

"Denny, you can stay if you want, I don't really mind." I said whilst clambering into the warmth of my bed. "I'm sure Mark won't mind you staying in his room."

"Okay, thanks. Night Chelsea, see you tomorrow." The content fisherman sleepy said.

"Night. Night Mark, see you guys in the morning, maybe."

* * *

_**Marks P.O.V:**_

I tossed Denny a sleeping bag I'd found lurking in Claire's bed and stripped off most of my clothes. Neither of us really cared that the other was in just his boxers.

"So what's the deal with you and my sister? You seem pretty close?"

"Yeah, I guess. Some situations we've been on have made us closer I guess. She's weird though, one minute she hated me, the next she really likes me. I can't say I'd really blame her though."

"Promise me you'll look after her? If I leave for any reason, look after her? She means the world to me and I've already hurt her enough… as you can already see right now, but if any other jerk comes along and hurts her and I'm not around, just take care of her? I'd appreciate it."

"Okay, I will. You're not leaving anytime soon though? Because that'll destroy her even more."

"No, I wouldn't go anywhere and leave her in this state, bless her. Oh, what was with her and the cowboy, what was his name again… oh, Vaughn. Yeah, what's with them?"

"I'm not really sure. Him and I don't exactly get on… but he seemed to like Chels a lot before. Who knows? You'd have to ask Julia about that, she hears everything from Chelsea and some stuff from Vaughn, I think."

"Oh, okay. It's so confusing hearing her being referred to as Chelsea, the name doesn't sound familiar. I think I'll have to get used to it though as she seems to want to be this Chelsea. Huh. Hey, how long d'you think it'll be before the islanders start talking to Clair… Chelsea again?" I asked.

Denny sat silent for a second, pondering the question before coming up with some sort of answer. "Well, if I'm honest, I have no idea. Nothing like this has ever happened on this island before so it's hard to say but, I don't know, maybe 4 days or so? Everyone's normally a happy bunch, it's just Natalie and Vaughn seem to be people who hold grudges. We'll just have to take every day as it comes."

"Okay. I feel like an idiot, it was my fault." I exclaimed sadly.

"Look, it was bound to come slipping out sooner or later with the same consequence. Man, can we sleep now? I'm so tired and I think tomorrow might be a long one."

"Sure, night."

I flicked off the light switch and draped the duvet over my face, trying to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. This wasn't the first impression I was hoping to set on everyone but what's done is done.

* * *

**A/N: A little bit of a filler here! :3 So I started a new story today: Me, myself and I, whic****h is set on Castanet with Hikari, feel free to check it out if you want :3 Also, truthfully, I don't think this has much left, unless you guys want to read about Chelsea and Vaughn's relationship flourish later on. Leave me a comment letting me know your opinion? ^.^ Thanks for reading guys, I appreciate every review, follower, favourite and reader. You're my motivation! Thanks for reading, I hope to see you at the next update!**


	32. The Pumpkin Festival

Another day full of emptiness trudged along slowly, taking the autumn air with it. Today was the last day of fall, the pumpkin festival. I would have been excited for this event if people were talking to me because I'd heard of the great plans Julia and the rest had conjured up. They were basically having a massive party on the meadow and the only other person from the island not going was Vaughn simply because he wasn't here.

I decided that moping about inside my house wasn't doing me any good, so I braved up and went for a walk around town, alone. I could feel eyes, too many pairs of eyes staring at me, piercing my back. I gave everyone I passed, sad, apologetic smiles, mostly exchanged by a scowl or glare in return. Instead of speaking and apologising like I so desperately wanted to, I carried on walking until I reached the diner. The old, yellowish door showed off its open sign, offering me a sigh of relief as I could maybe hide in here for a while. I made my way to the counter and just glanced at the menu, already knowing what I'd order.

"Hello there what can I get yo… oh."

"Is there a problem?" I asked, biting my lip a little.

"I'm uh, sorry. I can't serve you or I might lose customers." Nicks voice stated, ringing loud and clearly in my ears.

So I couldn't even go out and eat anywhere anymore? There was nothing left for me on the island was there? No shops would serve me unless it concerned the wellbeing of an animal, people refused to speak to me except Denny and my brother. Everything was blown massively out of proportion leaving me a complete outsider. This really wasn't fair!

I came home and sank into the sofa feeling way sorrier for myself than I should be. Hearing fits of laughter echo from the recently built room, I got up to investigate; only to find both boys covered from head to toe in face paint of all different colours, splodged in different designs.

"Woow, you guys look, uh, different?" I chuckled, raising my eyebrows at them both. "What are you even supposed to be?"

"A picture? C'mon, you know we're both such a picture to look at anyway with our muscles and amazing looks." Mark laughed.

"I wouldn't go that far." I said sarcastically, "But you do look a picture." I laughed a little before going back to the sofa.

They said their goodbyes and headed off to the party, still looking like 'pictures'. I couldn't bear staying here alone anymore and so took a trip to the forest where I ended up at the Witch Princesses house. As if she knew I was coming – to be fair, she probably did because she's a witch, the door was already open and she stood there with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey, it's been a while. a very long while since we first met? I've heard a lot about you."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside her little house before slamming the door shut. Her place was truly different. There were big, stuffed bears dotted everywhere along with a massive wall aligned with bookcases. A small, black cauldron, fizzing purple stood in the centre of the room, giving off a rather floral smell.

"What is that?" I asked, inhaling the delicate fumes.

"Oh, it's a potion I'm making. Cupid's arrow – to make anyone you desire fall in love with you. It's a working progress at the minute but I really hope it'll work when I find the final ingredients."

"Oh, who do you plan on using it on when you're done?" I hesitantly asked.

She shrugged and flipped her blonde waves to the side. "Mhm, maybe Mark. I like him, he's interesting."

"Psh, you don't need a potion to make him fall for you. He's half way there already." I announced.

The blonde's face lit up as she beckoned me to sit so we could discuss him further. Looks like it might be a long night ahead of me…

* * *

_**Marks P.O.V**_

Denny and I had been getting on pretty well since my arrival. We were pretty close, I think. We had so much in common and he seemed like a great person. After smearing each other in paint as our costume, we both headed over to the meadow where the party was being held.

"D'you think Chels will be okay on her own?" Denny questioned, sounding really sympathetic towards her.

"I think so. She didn't seem to care about not being invited. Who knows what runs through her little head?"

"Mmm." He silenced himself as we reached the big field filled with festive decorations. Pumpkins with faces carved into them were sitting everywhere whilst skeletons and bats adorned every table. I chuckled a little when I saw the plastic eyes floating in the red punch. It seems like they'd put an awful lot of effort into this. Everyone was dressed up; a small blonde girl dressed like a princess and her father a beast. The pink boy, Elliot, dressed as, well, himself? The blonde girl, Julia was a cat whilst the other pink headed freak had dressed herself up like a mummy, covered in tissue paper and pen. The little chef was dressed like a mummy too, to match the girl. Lana, the one who wouldn't leave Denny alone, was dressed like a princess too with a little tiara sitting on top of her head. A familiar tune filled the air, beckoning everyone to the dance floor.

We quickly danced away an hour followed by two before everyone quietened a little. The little cat dressed blonde came bobbing up to me with a little sad look on her face.

"It doesn't feel right without Chelsea being here? Do you think she'd want to be invited? Because you can go and get her if you want, people won't mind. I think everyone feels the same way. She's just too fun to simply forget. Although we won't forgive her that easily… "

"Yeah, she's been so sad recently. I think she'd love to be invited. Come with me to get her? She'll think we're being genuine then."

"Okay. Let's go then!"

I let her drag me through the familiar territory back to Chelsea's farm.

'Huh that's weird the lights are off?' I let myself in and flicked them on, before jumping on her bed to wake her up.

"Claire?" I shouted, shocked that she wasn't asleep or in the house.

"We should go check elsewhere for her." Julia stated, before marching off in the direction of the beach.

I trailed after her, hollering Claire and Chelsea every now and again. She wasn't at the beach either.

Julia and I continued searching everywhere, and I mean everywhere, before finally giving up. We walked over to the meadow again in silence, worry tickling the back of my mind.

'Don't worry about it, she'll be okay. She was probably just passing between two points when we were searching for her. She'll be about tomorrow. You'll see.'

I stopped just outside the meadow bridge and grabbed Julia by the arm, pulling her closer to me.

"Do we tell people or just leave them clueless?" I questioned. "Will people care enough to want to help?"

"It's too out of character for her to be missing. Everyone does care, they were just pissed. People will be worried about her too, okay?"

I nodded a little. "Oh, are we getting more people to find her now, or do we wait until morning?"

A concentrated look flashed across the blondes face before she finally spoke. "Uhm, I think we should look again. If we can't find her then, well, we'll just have to look again tomorrow? Ah, I don't know. I should call Vaughn. I think he would know what to do in this situation."

"Okay, well, let's go tell them then?" I said, eager to search again.

Once we crossed the bridge, everyone turned to look at us. Julia demanded for the music to be switched off and then preceded with a little speech about Chelsea being missing. Despite people being annoyed, they all missed her dearly and were more than happy to help, well, with a few exceptions of course. We split into groups leaving Natalie and Lana behind whilst we torn the island apart searching for the brunette.

Disappointment filled the air as we all turned back to the meadow with no such luck. Where the hell did she go? It's not possible for someone to just go missing is it?...

_**Julia's P.O.V**_

I was left with no choice. I reached for the phone resting on the counter in the kitchen and dialled the number written on the pad: 'for emergency's only'. After three rings the grouchy cowboy finally picked up.

"Hello?..."

"Vaughn it's Julia. Chelsea's gone missing…"

* * *

**A/N: well there you guys go, a new chapter. I'm trying to update daily as there's a lot going on in this story at the moment. ** **Be prepared because the next chapters will be VERY dramatic ;) and might be a little unsettling for some. Haha. Everything's already written for the next 2/3 and I'm very excited to publish them :3 I won't say much more though or I might ruin it! Thanks for reading, see you at the next update.**


	33. Danger

**A/N: I know I've said this before but this chapter definitely contains some dark stuff so anyone uncomfortable with the idea of cutting might not like this very much. It may not seem bad but I just wanted to warn you, better to be safe than sorry! Anyway, let's proceed with the story…**

* * *

_**Vaughn's P.O.V:**_

"What do you mean missing?" I snarled sleepily down the phone. I wasn't impressed that shed woken me up to tell me Chelsea wasn't at home.

"Mark and I searched the whole island for her, she wasn't anywhere. We ended up getting the others to help but no one found her."

"Are you sure you've checked everywhere? The jungle, beach, forest, mountain, mines?"

"Yeah, everywhere possible." I listened as a strangled cry erupted down the phone. "What if she's dead? Maybe she went in the sea or a river, but she can't swim…" The blonde trailed off.

What if she really was dead? A wave of doubt washed over me as I cancelled that thought out.

"Look, she'll be fine. I'll catch the next boat and be there by morning."

I hung the phone up on her, and went to pack a few items, not that I'd need them. This was certainly an odd turn of events. First everyone hated her because of some identity crisis she'd had and now everyone was worried for her? The islanders were an odd bunch.

The closer I got to the island, the more I longed to see Chelsea, despite being pissed about everything. I actually missed her although I wouldn't dare to admit it to anyone. I wanted to run my hands through her silky smooth hair, I wanted her to hug me again and tell me she's missed me, I desperately wanted to see her. A sense of nausea swept through me as Julia's words rang like a bell through my ears. 'What if she's dead?'. She wouldn't be dead, would she? By now I was itching to get of this bloody boat and parade the island looking for her, we would find her. We had to find her. The island was only small after all, it should be easy. But I guess that's why people were panicking, because the island WAS small, so it's not easy to stay hidden for long and it's impossible to just disappear without leaving so much as a trace behind.

"Boarding at Sunshine Island."

I hopped off the boat quickly, practically running to the animal farm. I stopped in my tracks when I noticed the crowd of people loitering around the farm. Had they found her already? Oh goddess…

"What's everyone doing here?" I asked, getting surprised looks thrown at me.

"We thought she'd come back to tend to Magic, we checked on her this morning and she's gone into labour…" Julia spoke up.

It was one thing after another here wasn't it? At least this calf would survive.

"Right, I'll deliver the calf, you guys search some more." I demanded.

They all nodded in agreement and sorted themselves into groups whilst I rushed back to the animal barn, collecting the necessary equipment I would need for this birth.

Hours later and a tiny black calf with a white patch surrounding her eye finally emerged into the world. But there was still no word on Chelsea. Sighing, I stood from my crouched position and allowed my aching muscles to stretch out.

"There now little one, welcome to the world." I announced happily.

I smiled as Magic immediately took on a maternal role towards her calf, nudging it and supporting it.

"Looks like you're gonna be a good mom, huh?" I patted her gently, glad to hear the satisfied moo given. "You did well, I'll leave you two be for a while now, gotta go find someone. You take care of her like a good mom."

I left the barn and made my way back to the animal farm where I knew everyone would be gathered. As soon as I stepped in the room I felt a tense atmosphere which was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. Worry and anxiety stained most faces; some even had tear marks trickling down their cheeks.

"What if she's done something stupid because of us? I would never be able to forgive myself if she had." Julia cried out.

Several nods in agreement lightened the air.

"Do we search again or just leave it now?" Denny asked.

"Leave it but just for now. If we couldn't find her then, what makes you think she'll suddenly appear now?" Natalie bitterly said, a scowl taking place on her face.

She did have a point though.

Nick made a suggestion of food on the house for lunch causing everyone; including me, to trail behind him.

* * *

_**Chelsea's P.O.V:**_

I felt almost reluctant to leave the Witch Princess's house when I woke this morning. It was a little disheartening to know that no one would have cared for my missing night or be overly bothered if I decided to stay here forever. I nodded as the girl offered me coffee. I knew Mark would care for Magic whilst I was away so there was nothing I had to go back for. I stayed a while longer, only leaving at noon. I decided to avoid going home and instead waddled down to the beach. I reached down and pulled my red rubber boots off, shoving my matching red bandanna inside them. I let them sit by the entrance as I made my way to the shore line, rubbing my toes amongst the sand. I felt like I belonged here. I crossed my legs, making my own indent whilst digging my nails into the sand; enjoying the feeling of the tiny particles lodging themselves in my almost non-existent nails. I sighed slightly to myself as I felt the waves creep closer and closer to me until they lapped around my legs. I didn't dare move; in fact I was about ready to let the waves engulf me and carry me away. I wanted it to gush the breath out of me before it swept me further and further away.

I stayed still for a while, lost in my thoughts. I had nothing to live for anymore, my real family dead, my other family and the islanders hated me. To make matters worse the man I had fallen way too hard for –although he didn't know that yet, wanted nothing to do with me and I was carrying a baby which I didn't overly want – despite loving it, from a slightly obsessive man. Life was cruel and twisted. How can life inflict so much pain and loss on one person's hunched up shoulders? I placed my hands on my hard, protruding stomach. I had undying love for the little thing but it made me feel ill to know that it was the product of some drunken antic. The sun had begun spreading the reds, oranges and pinks amongst the yellows and blue. I noticed that the tide had slowly risen; now the sea was lapping just below my chest. My hair flowed into the water turning knotted and clumped whilst my orange shirt hung soaked around my waist. The sea was cleansing me; washing me away. I smiled at the thought. I was an obstacle to the waves; a challenge. The waves furiously pounded at me; the bigger ones leapt over me before crashing down, soaking any dry part of me left.

"Chelsea" I heard my name being yelled but I didn't dare move a muscle. At least they were using my name…

"Chelseaaaa…" I heard someone yell.

Fast footsteps approached me. I groaned a little as I listened to the loud splashes behind me.

"What are you doing?"

I sat there silently. I knew I was being a bitch but I couldn't deal with this right now, I had gone through too much.

A soft hand brushed my shoulder before shaking me a little. The same hands then wrapped themselves around me before dragging me out of the water.

"Get the fuck off me." I cried. I didn't want to be torn away from the sea, it was the one thing offering me an odd sort of happiness right now.

He ignored my protests and carried on dragging me from the water until we reached a soft bank where the water couldn't reach us.

Big soft brown eyes bore themselves into my hard blue ones.

"Chels what's wrong?" I watched as his eyes filled with concern. Why was he concerned about me? I could fend for myself. "Everyone on the island is worried about you, we've been searching everywhere for you, where've you been hiding?"

I shrugged lightly and rolled my eyes a little, not wanting to speak although I so desperately wanted to laugh. Everyone was supposedly worried about me? That was bullshit because just the other day no one wanted anything to do with me.

"I'm not leaving until you say something."

"Stop being so stubborn Den." I muttered under my breath. Was this man so deluded by himself that he couldn't see just how much I didn't want to speak with him or anyone, ever.

"You know everyone's worried about you right?"

"You've said that already. Besides, I didn't go very far did I. I mean I was sat on the fucking beach for most of today." I screamed before storming away. I didn't have enough time to pick up my boots or bandanna so I left them behind. My name was shouted several times but I ignored the calls, I didn't care anymore. I bolted to my farm; locking the door behind me. I flung my orange shirt off and traced the faint pink lines across my arm from seasons ago; before I'd even moved here. They were so faint that you would have needed a microscope to actually see them. I just knew they were there. Scrambling around in the drawer, I reached for the penknife before delving the pointy tip into my skin. I drew the tip all the way across my wrist before repeating the actions a load more times. I stared at the blood seeping out of the cuts, forming a red, blotchy trail across both wrists. I'd done this before so many times and to me, watching red align the raised, abused skin felt almost natural. Without even bothering to wash away the blood, I shoved on my shirt in an attempt to cover up my wrists, hiding the bloody skin, before placing the knife in my rucksack.

Just as I dizzily stood up, Denny pounded at my door screaming my name.

"What the fuck is his problem?" I muttered before plopping down on the sofa. After another 10 minutes or so of persisting knocking I gave in and opened up, only to be swept off my feet and marched back down to his little hut.

"What are you doing? I cried.

"Looking after you." He replied.

Once we reached his shack, the door automatically swung open with a cowboy standing on the receiving end.

I was shocked to see him here, it wasn't a Wednesday or Thursday.

"What are you doing here?" I asked

"Helping him to look after you." He grunted, without even a second glance towards me. I felt something inside me almost break a little at seeing how disgusted he seemed to see me.

A flash of red caught my eye, making me smile a little knowing my shoes and bandanna were safe.

I tapped the fisherman on the shoulder and asked him to put me down." I need to use the bathroom."

He sighed quietly before dropping me gently on the floor.

"The bathroom's the only door on the left. It's not hard to find." He grinned. I watched as his eyes wandered down to my belly, slightly poking out beneath my shirt. I felt myself automatically tug hard at my shirt, trying to hide my baby bump.

After peeing I looked around a little, noticing a mirror. Naturally I walked over to it and glanced at myself. 'Wow, I'm looking terrible.' My hair was clumped and straggly, thick strands stuck together from the sea salt. My face was covered in red tear stains and I had purple bags left under my eyes. I looked dirty and bruised; my skin red and raw from not washing away the salt from the sea. ( I always got bad rashes an hour or two after being in the sea.) My tummy was beginning to stick out way too noticeably too, unsurprising really. A wave of depression hit me and I found myself sitting on the wooden floor with rolled up sleeves, cutting over the scabbed skin. It was almost mesmerising to watch the red liquid ooze out of the skin again before the cut decided to seal itself up. I stared as the remaining droplets of blood trickled around my list, wiping them away quickly before they hit the floor. I sat there for a while silently sobbing about how much of a fuck up I was. I barely glanced up when Denny barged through the door.

"Chelsea, what're you doing on the floor?"

Silence filled the room before he turned and sat in front of me like he had earlier on the beach.

"What the hell have you done?" he asked quietly.

My eyes followed his gaze down to my wrists and then back to the blood dried on my hands.

"What did you use to do this? Give it to me, please?" He asked, sounding hurt.

I shook my head slightly before laughing, deranged, "Oh this, it's nothing. There's been worse."

"Promise me you won't do it again?" He whispered softly.

"I'm not promising anything." I replied assertively.

"Fine, then you can answer to Vaughn." He replied before shouting: "VAUGHN."

Shit.

I stared up at the cowboys scowling face.

"What'd she do this time?"

"Look." He pointed down at my wrists; which were already covered up by my sleeves.

"Show me." he yelled, clearly agitated and angry, letting his breath tickle me face as he crouched down next to me.

I tried to be difficult by standing up and turning away but he just picked me up and carried me to Den's living area; placing me on the floor matt. He sat next to me and pulled at my arms, resting them on his lap. I cringed away from him as he gently brushed his fingers across my arm, creeping up to the wound. When his fingers finally stopped, a small growl escaped from his throat.

"Why would you do this to yourself?" He questioned, boring his amethyst eyes into me.

I sat there silently, unwilling to offer an explanation.

"Have you done this anywhere else? What did you use?"

Again his questions remained unanswered.

"Chels, please." He murmured.

I shook my head a little at him, offering an apologetic smile instead.

Denny ushered Vaughn into a room where low whispers were exchanged. I tried so hard to make out what they were saying but to no avail, nothing made sense. They both came back in with crossed arms, holding the same expression. Vaughn parted his lips, about to say something when I felt something inside me snap yet again.

Before he could say anything I screamed at him: "Don't you dare open your mouth and criticise me for this. You don't understand what I'm going through so don't judge me. I'm not strong enough to control my feelings like others; this is my way of dealing with stuff when times get difficult. I don't care what you, or anyone else thinks."

He attempted to grab my arm but I just brushed it off and walked past him; heading for somewhere else. 'Dammit I've left my shoes and bandanna behind' I thought to myself as my foot made contact with glass.

Somehow I'd managed to make my way to the mountain; One of my favourite places on the island. I sat down to catch my breath for a few minutes, panting loudly before shakily standing up and glancing around me. Careless thoughts flitted through my mind, ones that all sounded so right. This would be easy. I knew that if I went back now people would try to convince me that something better would come along and I should just try to get over this. That's what people always say.

I stood on the edge of the mountain top and looked down. Everything looked minuet like a tiny child's dolls house. I pushed myself closer to the more secluded bit of the mountain so if anyone were to appear I would be slightly hidden. The wind blew at my hair-still clumped together from the salt, and bellowed at my shirt, allowing it to float around me in the wind. I rubbed my tummy slightly, sending a silent sorry to the little life inside of me. Sorry I never gave you the chance you deserved. It'll be better this way.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip slightly, taking in a good deep breath whilst I contemplated whether this was a good choice or not. It felt like my only choice. I uttered goodbyes to people as I tiptoed closer and closer until my foot was hanging off the cliff. One small step was all it took.

"It'll be okay now, I can finally be with my parents again." I cried, about to step off the rocky ledge and plummet into the rocky depths below.

"Chelseaaa!" My name was screamed; the tone high pitched and panicky.

"Don't you dare!"

I jerked my head slightly to see the stranger. I didn't have to look as I knew his voice but I wanted to, just one last time. Marks face was full of panic and worry. I smiled by the fact that he had chosen to use my new name and not the one I was given at birth.

"Don't come any closer." I yelled, warning him.

He reached out his hand and, taking no notice of my order, took another step closer before saying: "You don't have to do this y'know. Everyone's scared and worried about you Chelsea, you just disappeared." He trailed off.

"No, nobody cares. Stop lying to me. If you take another step then I'm gone." I replied feeling the tears stream down my face.

"Please Chelsea." He begged, "This is a misunderstanding. People want to hear your explanation, they miss you." He smiled. "Just come here?"

"You don't understand what hell I went through after the accident. Everything was blamed on me and they tormented me. I just wanted a place where people would accept me and not feel sorry for me. Now that's all been taken from me because of you." I pointed an accusation finger at him. "Besides what are you even doing here? We aren't even real brother or sister; we both know I was adopted." I shouted, "So stop acting like you care."

"I don't give a shit if I'm a real brother or not, you will always be my little sister and I'll always love you like one. It doesn't matter if your name is Claire or Chelsea or whatever the hell else you wanna be called. You're family and that's all that matters." I watched as the tears ran down his face. I had never seen him cry before

"Come over here before you do anything stupid, please?" He begged.

I shook my head, allowing myself to be the stubborn cow I knew I was inside. "No, this is the best decision. Everyone hates me because of some stupid mistake. I fucked up badly okay. The guy I've fallen for pretty much hates me. I'm struggling on the farm. You'd do a better job running it than I ever would and I'm tormented each night by memories of my past. They rip me further and further apart; they won't stop until I'm broken. Well I am broken now, just like my memories. Everything's just fucked up Mark. I don't know what to do. Please just trust me when I say it's better for me and my baby." My hands fell to my bump protectively. "If I finish this now."

I was quickly cut off by a stuttering Mark, obviously just processing the information I'd given him. "Y.. Wait… You're pre pregna pregnant?"

I nodded slightly, willing myself to look anywhere but at him.

A dark look spread across his face. "No one knows do they?"

I bit my lip a little before speaking. "Denny and Vaughn know." I desperately wanted the ground to just swallow me up right now.

"Well that's brilliant, isn't it? You have a little life growing inside of you!" A grin spread across his ghostly pale face. "Isn't this worth living for? This little thing will need your love and support; everything I know you can offer it Chelsea, just come here and we can sort things out, okay?"

I shook my head again. "It's not that easy Mark. This thing is the product of too much alcohol and someone taking advantage of me when I was in such a sorry state. It's not a good thing at all."

He tried interrupting but I shook my head and continued with my little speech. "Do you know how hard it is to know that this thing inside of you will never get the attention it deserves? Or have a proper family? It will end up being a complete wreck like me Mark, and that just isn't fair." The tears fell even harder than before.

"Hey, Chels, it'll be okay, trust me. I know things have been tough but this doesn't have to be an option, please? Everyone's accepted the fact that you obviously had your reasons to change. They all forgive you, trust me. This road's not over yet. Now just come over here, please?" He begged.

I gave in. I turned around and gave him a little smile before stepping forward only my legs caved inwards and I tumbled backwards; off the edge of the cliff.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I told you guys it would be dramatic and it definitely was. I've had this chapter planned since like the beginning of the story and now I feel like a little part of me is gone now that this has been posted, aha. I don't know if it seems ridiculous having all of this over the top, overly dramatic stuff in this chapter but well, since everything's happened, I think Chelsea's been on edge and has had plenty of thoughts like this flowing through her mind. It was kinda hard to show that though, which is why I'm explaining it here :3**

**A small message to those that cut: I know things may seem bad now, but trust me things DO get better. Trust me, I would know. Talking to someone about your problems, no matter how big or small they are, definitely helps. If there's no one you feel you can confide in then visit one of the online chat room's which offer people who want to listen to what you have to say and help you through the tough times. Just remember there are always people who love you and would be willing to support you if you needed them. You're all beautiful and amazing, okay? 3**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please don't kill me about the little cliff hanger ;P but this chapter's too long. Sorry about my extremely long authors note too but I had a lot to say today! See you guys tomorrow (maybe) with the next update! **


	34. Rescued

_**Vaughn's P.O.V**_

I sat there stunned as Chelsea stormed out. I was fuming over the whole situation, gah did she not realise how important she was to me? Or how this actually worried the fuck out of me? I guess not because I tried to keep my cold, maybe heartless expression around her despite wanting to pull her close and protect her from everything else.

After a few minutes passed before both Denny and I bolted after the farmer. Already she had disappeared and a feeling of idiocy hit me. We'd found her without telling anyone else and just let her run off and disappear once again.

"We need to tell Mark. He's been beside himself, c'mon."

I let the panicked, tan man drag me through town until we reached the farm where Mark was standing, arms crossed, facing the sun.

"Mark. We found her." Denny spluttered out.

"You did, well where is she?" Marks voice asked, his eyes searching for her.

"Uh, She ran away again." I replied bitterly.

"You let her JUST RUN AWAY?" He screeched.

"Look, it wasn't that simple. We were both a little shocked cos she'd slit her wrists and completely lost it with us."

"She did it again?" He whispered, almost to himself. "Oh goddess, we really need to find her before she tries to do something stupid… again."

"Again, what'dyou mean?" Denny hesitantly asked.

"No time to explain, we just need to find her. I'll go look in the forest, you guys just keep your eyes peeled okay, go look elsewhere."

"Don't forget the mountain." I added as the blonde scurried away.

I searched bloody everywhere for the girl with no luck whatsoever. Disheartened, I made my way back to the farm where we'd agreed to come back to once we were done. The fisherman was already present, but there was no sign of Mark.

"Has he already come back?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Maybe we should go check out the forest then, that's where he was looking, right? Maybe he found her?" I suggested.

As soon as we were half way through the forest, shouting filled our ears. As we hit the base of the mountain a sickening scream echoed through the forest. A feeling of dread spread through me as I raced to the mountain top, finding Mark staring over the edge in shock.

"Chelsea?" He shakily yelled before breaking down completely in front of me.

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

I heard my name being screamed as I slipped through the air. My scrawny hands scratched and clawed at the rock in front of me before managing to grab a hold of something a little more stable. I clasped at the tiny ledge; hanging helplessly. I realised then just how silly I had been with everything recently. This shouldn't have been what I'd turned to; I guess there was nothing I could do to change this moment though. At least if I made it through this, it was definitely an eye opener and I think I'll be respecting everyone and everything especially the aspect of life so much more. I knew then that if I could pull through this, I'd be able to do anything, including bringing up this baby and giving it all the love and support it would ever need. I was determined now to be a good mom when this thing's born.

"HEELLPP." I screeched loudly, glancing upwards. Three figures were standing over the edge, but I couldn't make out their faces. I hadn't fallen far but my eyesight was fuzzy. I began to panic, thinking that maybe I should just let go when a voice called out to me. "Hey, just keeping hanging on there, okay, we're just sorting something out. A couple of moments passed before a looped piece of rope was chucked down to me. Were they having a fucking laugh? They expected me to drop the ledge and try to hold this instead. What if it snaps? But what other option did I have? I hoisted myself up a little so both arms were resting on the ledge, whilst reaching for the rope. With it in my hands, I gripped tightly so they could pull me a little way up. The further up I was pulled, the less secure I felt. My hands became slippery and frail, unable to hold on for much longer.

"I really don't think I can hold on for much longer." I warned, getting agitated by the burning sensation the rope brought to my hands.

"You're almost at the top. Just ignore what your body thinks and cling on tightly."

As the last words came tumbling out of Marks mouth I lost all concentration and let go, only to be caught by pairs of hands grabbing a hold of my wrists. They all helped pull me up and didn't dare let go of me until my feet hit the beautiful ground.

A couple of seconds after my feet touched land again, all hands, except for two, dropped. The ones that were still present steered me towards a towering rock, lightly smacking my head into it. The same hands wrapped themselves tightly around my waist as the person the proceeded to press their lips angrily yet passionately into mine. Startled, I pulled away for a second before going back and meeting his lips again, this time kissing him back. I kept my eyes tightly squeezed shut throughout everything, not daring myself to look up at the man. His scent gave him away though, a soft familiar scent of dried grass, fallen rain and animals.

"Don't you ever do that to me again, d'you understand." I heard the voice say as he pulled away.

The cowboy did care. I felt my heart flutter, I'm pretty sure that if it could, it would've exploded in that moment. All the sadness I felt melted away as an overly enthusiastic happiness took over. A second later though, I broke down; I slumped to the floor shaking and quivering, tears rolling down my face as the experience of today finally sunk in.

"Please can I go home?" I whispered, looking up at the cowboy towering over me.

Without a second thought, he swooped me up from the ground and proceeded to carry me home. "Thanks for saving me." I whispered, knowing full well that it was his idea. I mean, who else carried rope everywhere with them and dressed like a cowboy? I didn't hear his response though because I blacked out soon after, snuggled into his chest.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, there wasn't enough hours in the day for me to do everything I wanted to, haha. Yep, Vaughn's officially a hero (for like the third time in this story.) and Chelsea finally got a kiss. It can only be good from here on, right?... You'll just have to wait and see. Mwhaha.**


	35. Explaining

Taking a deep breath, I stood up in the meadow, staring at all the faces peering up at me. I think near enough everyone was here, aside from little Eliza and Charlie. They were busy playing queen and servant in Gannon's house so it was best to leave them be. Nervously, I gave everyone a big smile before settling my eyes on Vaughn. Today was the day I told everyone the truth about everything. They all deserved to know, after all. Despite it being only two days since everything happened, I felt ready to open up and tell my story.

"Uhm, hi guys. I guess you all know why we're gathered here right. First off, I wanted to say sorry. Sorry for lying to all of you about who I was." I paused and looked at the faces again quickly. They all offered reassuring smiles. "My name isn't Chelsea. It's Claire. I was born on winter 8th." I stopped when I heard Julia gasp.

"You never told us when your birthday was. It's in four days, how are we meant to do anything for you in such a short time?" I listened as the crowd chuckled a little before continuing.

"When I was little my parents and I got caught in a car crash, killing them both. I was then adopted by family friends who brought me up. After another car crash, this time with Mark nearly dead, I wasn't comfortable living as myself. Of course the accident was blamed on me and I was bullied endlessly by my adopted family, they weren't too impressed let's put it that way. In the end I gave up and ran away. I had Mark practically dead and everything else piled high on my shoulders, it wasn't fair. So I ended up here with a new name, new life to try and forget everything of my past. Only as you all know, it didn't exactly work out as planned." I could feel tears threatening to make themselves present. "And well, that's my story I guess. I hope you can forgive me for everything. And guys, please call me Chelsea still. Being Claire just isn't me anymore." I shrugged as I plopped myself down on the grass, scrubbing at my eyes with my fists furiously.

"Chels, you forgot something." Denny whispered, pointing to my stomach.

"Fine, but if I'm telling them, you're standing up too."

He nodded and stood up, helping me up on my feet again too.

"Oh, one tiny thing I didn't mention." I choked out. "Well, uh, I uhm…." I stuttered furiously, lost for words.

"Chelsea's pregnant." The fisherman beamed, rubbing my belly with his hands. "Yes before any of you start, we know we're not a couple or anything and having this baby would be a disappointment to the harvest goddess or whatever but we couldn't care less. As long as Chels and I are happy about the situation, that's all that matters, right? Besides, you can't change the past."

I watched as people nodded a little but still frowned at the new announcement. An angry sensation boiled inside me, making me shake. Rather than explode, like I knew I probably would have done, I ran home, into my barn.

"Hey Magic, how've you been?" I asked, my back to her as I shut the door. I turned around to face her and was completely shocked.

"You had your baby? Why didn't anyone tell me? Gah the people on this island."

I walked over to the big cow and kissed her gently on the nose.

"Mind if I say hello to your baby?"

A moo quickly followed, making me smile.

"Hello there little one." I greeted the calf. "You look well, huh? You're very cute."

I patted the little cow, planting a kiss on her nose too.

"I wonder if they gave you a name yet? Hmm. It seems they've been taking good care of you though."

I paused and plonked myself between the two cows in the hay. "Oh, I've got it. I'm gonna call you Hope. Because you've given me hope that everything's gonna be okay from now on." I smiled and snuggled into the hay, accidentally falling asleep.

When I woke up, I found myself laying in a far more comfortable spot. I fluttered my eyelids open to see a familiar face staring down at me. He tugged at the tip of his hat a little, trying to conceal some of the redness consuming his face.

"Oh, you're awake." He grunted.

"Yeah, I guess I am. So, what're you doing here?" I questioned.

"You didn't look too comfy when I found you sleeping earlier, so I thought lying on me might be a little more comfortable. You haven't been sleeping for very long though."

"Um, right. When the hell were you gonna tell me that Magic had given birth?" I asked, sitting up to stare at him.

"Well, I forgot. It was the same day everything else happened and there was just much more important stuff to sort out than to tell you that your cow gave birth. Everything went okay though, and I've been caring for them for you."

"Thanks." I nodded. "What happened in the meadow after I left?" I was curious as to what went down and if the villagers would be mad at me yet again.

"Oh, well, everyone kinda panicked again, thinking that you might do something like the other day…" He trailed off. "They're going to be watching you for a while though, sorry. I think everyone's forgiven you though."

I sat in silence for a minute, processing everything. "What about you?" I asked.

"What about me?"

"Have you forgiven me?" I stared into his amethyst eyes, unsure on what emotion they were showing. It was something I hadn't seen in them before.

He didn't say anything, instead he leant forward and kissed me. it only lasted for a second or so but it made me deliriously happy. I couldn't help but laugh as he tugged on his hat to hide himself.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." I shook my head.

"I never realised just how difficult things were for you. It's just, you've been such a happy person all the time. I never would have suspected you to have had such a tough life. I guess the prettiest smiles come from the people who've been hurt the most, huh?"

I shook my head a little at his statement, that wasn't true at all, my smile was horrible. "C'mon, I'm going to see Julia now that everything's blown over, I've missed her. " i announced, hoping the blonde would accept me again.

He nodded and stood up, offering a hand to me. I gladly took it, pulled myself up and laced my fingers into his. As soon as we walked into the animal shop Julia ran out to meet us.

"Chelseaa, I've missed you so much." She was about to pull me into a hug when her eyes drifted down to mine and Vaughn's hands. "Oh my goddess. See I told you it would happen, didn't I tell you both that the other liked you?" she rejoiced. "Awh, you guys make the cutest couple."

I turned a deep shade of red. "Uh, Julia we aren't actually..."

"Yeah, you were right. Oh, and uh… thanks."

"Huh?" I snapped my head up to stare at the cowboy, a little confused.

He just smiled, kissing my nose, before walking off to his room. "I'll see you later, okay?" He called out.

"Chelsea and Vaughn sitting in the tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G" Julia sang.

"Shut up." I stuttered out, embarrassed.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes at me and huffed.

"How are you and Elliot?" I asked.

"We are soo good." She exclaimed. "Chels, I think I'm in love with the guy. I can't stop thinking about him all the time…"

She went on for hours just talking about everything to do with Elliot but I didn't mind, I was secretly glad because it meant Julia was back to her old self.

"Oh, how's your baby? I can't believe you kept that secret from me for so long. I better be a goddess parent or I won't be happy."

I laughed a little before frowning. I hadn't felt it move for a while, huh, maybe that was meant to happen. I shrugged away the bad thoughts and concentrated instead on what I was saying. "Well, I think he's good. The little bastard's made me huge already though. I'm going to be the size of a house before I give birth." I complained.

"Ha, ah well, at least the baby will be healthy." She pointed out. "Thought of any names yet?"

"Don't be silly. I'll come up with them later on when it's born. Besides we don't know if it's a girl or a boy yet."

"I hope it's a girl. I can dress it up and make it look all pretty." Julia squealed.

Oh goddess, I really hope it's a boy for its own sake now. I let off a nervous laugh and just agreed with the blonde.

"Julia, I'm going now, I'll see you soon, okay?"

She pulled me into a tight hug which seemed to last forever.

"Make sure you do come and see me. I don't wanna get lonely again." she smiled.

"Okay, well, bye. I'll just say bye to Vaughn."

I waddled down to his room and opened up the door. "Just thought I'd be nice and say bye as I'm leaving now." I beamed.

"Okay, bye Chels."

I was about to go when a question popped into my head. "One more thing. How long will you be staying here for?" I asked.

"As long as you need me. My boss has given me three weeks holiday off because I needed to use the holiday time up."

"Oh, okay. Well, see you later then I guess." I smiled.

As soon as I got home, I sat on my bed and sighed. Everything was working itself out for once.


	36. Delivery

I woke up and rubbed my eyes, yawning. Today was the first day that I got to care for my new calf. I was way too excited about it. I began making porridge for Mark and I when a nauseous feeling spread across my stomach. "Hmm, I don't really feel like eating now." I sighed out loud, switching off the hob. My stomach tinged and hurt a little but I dismissed it, thinking it was just getting use to the developing baby.

"MARK." I yelled, knowing full well he was probably still asleep. A sleepy blonde head peered out from around the corner staring blankly at me.

"Huh?" He yawned.

"You can make your own breakfast this morning, just don't burn my fricken house down."

I tried to pull on some clothes which sat awkwardly and went about my day. First I brushed, fed and petted both cows, then I decided to chop some wood and lumber, using up most of my stamina, before going back home and plonking myself on the sofa again. A shooting pain ran across my stomach, making me cry out. 'Oh goddess, what the hell was that?' I pondered. Another one followed a couple of minutes later, this time seemingly painless. The third, a much stronger pain, hit me hard, making me scream. I had no idea what these were but they were bloody painful. As I recovered slowly, soft knocks at the door encouraged me up on my feet, me being unaware of the blood visibly trickling down my legs. I was pleased to see my favourite person standing on the other side.

"Hey are you okay? I thought I heard you screaming?" he questioned.

"Me? I'm absolutely fine." I lied, not wanting to worry him after everything else that's happened. Just as the last word tumbled out of my mouth an agonising pain flew through me making me hunch over and pant. "Fuck." I groaned. "That hurt."

He stood still, examining me for a while before speaking up. "Uh, Chels, what's that dripping down your leg?"

My face blushed red as I glanced down to see trails of water trickling down, making a small puddle on the floor.

"Oh, I um, I don't know." I trailed off, embarrassed.

Another searing pain caused me to hunch over again, this one much worse than the last. As I straightened up and tried to move, a wave of water gushed from my legs, splashing over the floor.

"Chels. I don't think that's meant to be happening." Vaughn said shocked, his eyes wide like dinner plates.

"Vaughnn, the baby, its early, I'm in labour." I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. .

"Shit, uh, you stay here, don't you dare move and I'll go get Mirabelle or something."

I watched as he ran down the farmland until he disappeared.

"Don't you dare die on me. I've dealt with enough recently and I swear down, if you don't make it I'm not gonna be happy." I growled, prodding my bump.

I waited a minute or so before deciding to try and make my way elsewhere. I waddled down the path, hunched up and panting, until I reached the animal shop. I pushed open the door and just stood in the room, apparently completely unnoticed. I listened as Denny – Vaughn went and got him which was weird considering they don't get on massively, Vaughn, Julia and Mirabelle clucked about the phone, organising this and that. I groaned a little as the next wave of pain hit me causing all eyes to stare at me.

"Chelsea. I thought I told you to wait." Vaughn scolded, giving me a scowl.

"Well, I got bored of waiting, sorry. Can we just go to the hospital please." I grimaced.

"Okay fine. Just gotta wait until the ferry gets here, we've sorted everything."

"Good."

"Mhhm, the ferry needs to hurry up." I panted.

* * *

We got off at the nearest place that had a hospital with all the right equipment. With a rush, I was dragged down there by three boys: Mark, Vaughn and Denny, with Julia tagging along too. The hospital staff stuffed me into one of those horrible scratchy gowns as soon as we arrived and forced me to lie down. I was offered gas and air to try and remove some of the pain but it just made me a little dizzy instead; of course it was taken off of me as soon as they found out

"Miss, you can only have one person in here whilst we deliver your baby, the rest will have to wait in the waiting room." A nurse said, pointing to the little group hovering in the hallway.

"Mmm, okay, can you ask for uh, mhh, owwwhh, uh." I stopped and thought. I guess it would be wrong to have my brother in here although he's good with dealing with pain. Julia would just squeal and make a fuss. Denny's the baby's dad but I did ant Vaughn here too. This was difficult.

"Can't I have two people here?" I pleaded. "As long as they don't get in the way."

"uh, fine, but if one of them does get in the way, they'll be sent to the waiting room."

I nodded and asked for her to ask for Vaughn and Denny. They both came in, one looking worried and concerned whilst the other looking excited.

"I'm gonna be a dad soon, a real dad." Denny sighed happily, standing in the corner out the way.

Vaughn came and stood next to me, taking my sweaty palm in his.

"Vaughnn, it hurts." I whimpered, squeezing his hand tightly.

"Ow, yeah, it's okay Chels, I'm here." He whispered, playing with a strand of my hair.

An hour past before the nurses actually made me push with the contractions. With every agonising contraction, I shouted out at Denny. "This is all your fault you bastard. You have no idea just how much pain I'm in, gah I'm going to seriously hurt you when this is over."

With every outburst, Vaughn would chuckle whilst Denny stood there looking sheepish and unsure.

"Y'know, you can quit worrying, idiot. She doesn't mean it." Vaughn stated.

"MHM, I bloody well do. You're so dead. Both of you. ahhhh fuck."

"You're almost there" A nurse announced. "I can see the head now, just one big, last push."

I pushed hard, screaming.

"Well done." A nurse congratulated me. "You have a beautiful baby boy."

I waited for that cry that all mothers long for; a sign to show that their baby's perfectly fine and healthy but an eerie silence settled in the room instead.

I bolted upright and stared at the nurse. "Why isn't he crying? Babies always cry after being born…" I trailed off, tears filling my eyes.

She didn't even answer my questions as she whisked my baby away to a special baby unit. The nurse came back seconds later explaining that he should be okay despite being born early. They'd resuscitated him and he was now breathing on his own and that he only weighed 4lbs 5.

"4lb 5?" I breathed, that was so tiny.

The nurse nodded a little. "Once you've recovered, you can go and see him, okay?"

I nodded as she walked away. "Wow, I'm a really mom now." I sighed, letting the information sink in. "Boy are we gonna have some stories to tell him." I smiled up at the boys, still amazed that I'd just given birth to a tiny baby. I was itching to see him, my maternal role kicking in.

"I'm so proud of you, you've done so well." Vaughn muttered, kissing me on the forehead.

Denny nodded and beamed. "I can't believe we're parents now, it seems so surreal. You did good."

"Have you thought of any names?" Vaughn asked.

"I like Isaac." I smiled. "But what about you guys?"

They nodded their heads in agreement and both smiled at me just as Julia and Mark came running into the room.

"Was it a girl? Was it a girl? Oh, please tell me." Julia shrieked excitedly, practically bouncing up and down.

"Nope, a little boy, Isaac." I laughed.

"Oh…" her face drooped disappointedly for a second. "Oh, but I'm so happy for you." she smiled.

"Where is he?" Mark asked, looking excitedly around the room.

I let someone else explain it whilst I drifted to sleep. I was too exhausted to want to speak anymore.

I was shaken awake by Vaughn and Denny both staring down at me.

"Cheelsss wake up. You're allowed to go see Isaac now."

"Really?" My whole face lit up at the news, "about time, ahh."

I was just preparing myself to get out of bed when the nurse turned up, pushing a wheelchair.

"What's that for?" I quizzed, raising my eyebrows slightly.

"You, you still need to recover so we're putting you in this whilst you go and visit him."

"Okay." I nodded, plopping down into the chair offered out for me.

She wheeled me down into a little room where Isaac was being kept in an incubator. I glanced inside and melted at the sight of the baby. He was beautiful. His skin was only lightly tanned, a combination of both mine and Denny's skin, with soft blue eyes and Denny's characteristic curly, brown hair. He was just so small and innocent. Huge wires kept him stabilised, monitoring him, which looked ridiculous considering he was of a doll-like size.

"Ohh, he's beautiful." I whispered, a little in shock. "Hello little one, I'm your mommy" I said whilst placing my hand into the space offered. He immediately wrapped his tiny delicate fingers around my thumb and held on tightly.

"How long will he be in here for?" I asked gently, mesmerised by my little baby.

"We're just monitoring him over night. If he seems okay throughout the night then you'll possibly be able to take him home tomorrow."

I smiled at the news and sighed, everything really was working out perfectly at the moment, wasn't it?

* * *

**A/N: Third update of the day ^.^ I know you guys wanted me to 'abort' the baby or miscarry it or something but it felt almost too harsh considering everything else the girl went through. But hey, a baby's exciting, right? anyway, I'll see you guys at the next update ;P **


	37. Hospital

_**Vaughn's P.O.V:**_

I stared longingly at the loving connection Chelsea had already formed between the baby and herself. Would it be wrong to feel jealous? Especially when this baby might strengthen ties between herself and Denny, essentially forming a relationship between the two, pushing me out of the picture completely. Okay, so I'll admit that sounded totally selfish but I didn't want to risk losing the one thing that I'll admit was good for me. The one beautiful girl that transformed a terribly antisocial cowboy into someone different, someone better. I couldn't help but frown when everyone ohhed and ahhed over the thing squashed up in the incubator. Okay, he might have been cute but this little fucker could ruin everything.

"Hey Julia, come here." Chelsea cooed.

I watched as Julia obeyed the brunette; like a puppy obeying its master, and inwardly flinched when the blonde screeched over the 'cuteness' of that baby.

"Ohh, he looks so much like you both. You guys must be so proud, huh? It can be a bandana boy like his parents."

I carried on loitering in the small corner, eyes flicking back and forth from the scene playing in front of me. Seeing Chelsea and Denny stand so close, occasionally looking at one another in awe made something inside of me click and I couldn't help but storm off.

Of course I didn't go far, there were still too many things that could go wrong and if anything did happen, I guess I'd want to be close. I sat on a small, wooden bench just outside the hospital and allowed myself to reflect. I must've spent hours outside because by the time I finally came back inside everyone had moved themselves back to the ward where Chelsea was staying and the sky had turned a deep dark blue. Julia gave a quizzical look at me as I entered the little room but I just shrugged, there was nothing more to say, was there? It was unsurprising to see the little brunette all curled up in a ball, fast asleep. I must like corners a lot because once again, I found myself hidden I the safety of a corner. A small nurse popped her head in, announcing that visiting times were over and that we could come back tomorrow. As there was space for one of us to stay in the room with Chelsea we had to decide who would stay and who was leaving.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to stay." Denny said. "She should have someone important there for her because we don't know how she'll be if she does wake up in the morning."

"Yeah, that's a good point. Maybe Mark should stay with her? Or Vaughn? You're both really important to her."

Mark gave me an odd look before speaking. "You can stay with her, man. I'd appreciate it if you could look after her if she wakes up, it's you who she'd want to see anyway. Well, I'll be seeing you tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye."

I threw off my hat and boots before pulling out the closet bed and settling down in it. I didn't mind the white scratchy blankets so much, they reminded me the tiniest bit of the way hay feels when brushed against your skin. I closed my heavy lids and let sleep consume me, not wanting to dwell on today any longer.

* * *

Everyone was already here by the time I came too although Chelsea was still out of it. I sat up and tuned into their conversation.

"Does Chelsea actually have any clothes or anything prepared for the baby to come home to?" Julia piped up. "I mean, if she hasn't, surely we could go shopping whilst we're away from the island. I know her birthday's in a couple of days or so, it'll be like an early birthday present to her from everyone on the island, right?"

Denny nodded in agreement at this. "Yeah, I mean, I definitely need to put money into this either way, I am this baby's parent now, too."

I grunted in approval after everyone else in this stuffy room decided it was a good idea, sure, I guess she'd need stuff sooner or later anyway. Without another word, I was dragged out of that room and into the streets by Julia, telling me that I ought to come as we had nothing else to do. Fine, whatever. We walked around the small town looking for a somewhat decent shop.

"Oh, here, c'mon." the blonde exclaimed, dragging me into some mothers care shop.

"Look at all these little clothes. This is so adorable, ohh, there's so much to choose from. Ahhh. This just makes me want my own baby."

"I bet Elliot would love that." I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes at the pouting blonde.

"I think Mum would kill me first, haha." She laughed. "Well, I'm sure Chels will wanna get some baby stuff for herself so if we only get basic items she can get other items for herself."

"Okay."

I just stood watching as Julia ran about retrieving necessities from nappies and baby grows to bottles and a moses basket. With the swipe of a card, everything was 'paid' for meaning we could leave.

"Can you carry some of these bags please? They're too heavy for me to carry all of them."

"Sure." I nodded, grabbing most of the bags off of the blonde.

When we came back to the hospital, the bags were all dumped at the end of the bed.

"Awh, she's still asleep. Maybe we should leave her be."

* * *

_**Chelsea's P.O.V**_

At some point I'd managed to fall asleep which completely confused me when I woke up and stared at the blank faces surrounding me. Instinctively, my hands panicky flew to where my bump used to be and sighed, remembering the rushed events of yesterday.

"What's wrong with everyone?" I asked, stretching out my arms and yawning.

"Chelseaa." Julia faked a smile, "You're finally awake. The nurses told us not to wake you as you were probably so exhausted from yesterday. You look so peaceful when you're sleeping."

"Uh, thanks? Hey, what's the time anyway?"

"Hmm, oh, it's 1." Vaughn stated, his voice seemed impatient and weary, like he didn't have the time of day to speak to me.

"Oh, crap."

I rushed out of bed and shakily shoved some trousers and shoes on so I could freely walk about the hospital. Before anyone could stop me I was up and out of my ward room and into the room where Isaac was staying. I got myself all hyped up about being allowed to maybe take him home today and show him off to everyone else that I was unaware of the voices behind me, telling me to stop and come back. As soon as I reached the room, a feeling of dread swept over me, something didn't feel right at all. A high pitched beeping echoed across the room from the heart machine confirmed my fears. I fell into a dazed like state as a flurry of nurses brushed past me, ushering me away from where I stood staring and into a side room, effectively out of the way.

"Huh, what's going on…" I trailed off, confused and scared.

I clung onto Marks arm as I watched the nurses rush about in a panicked manner, acting like they didn't know what they were doing.

"Mark?"

"Hey it'll be okay, he'll pull through. I'm sure of it." He reassured.

* * *

**A/N: So, I've lost track of time a little. It must be under a week since I last updated despite it feeling like forever, I don't know. I would have posted this sooner but I let life catch up with me instead. I'll try updating again soon although I can't promise anything as my next couple of days are super busy. Well, until next time guys. ( I apologise for this being super jumpy and maybe slightly boring, I just wanted to get this up now, so yeah, sorry.)**


	38. A scare

I felt my knees give in as the nurses blurred in front of me. I found thick wet tears streaking down my face as I turned away, unwilling to watch the scene broken in front of me. Thoughts flicked through my mind as I listened to the rustling and heavy demands erupting from the nurses as did whatever the hell they could. 'What if he dies?' 'What if I can't ever take him home?' 'How the hell am I going to deal with this if it goes wrong. It really isn't fair anymore.' I sighed and stood up, running a hand through my messy, slightly greasy hair. I took a fearful glance towards where my baby lay, covered in wires and tube, looking tiny and frail; being resuscitated and something inside of me just snapped in two. I couldn't bear to stand here being an onlooker anymore so I bolted. I found myself running through the white of the hospital until I reached the entrance where I sunk down against the dirty, cold pavement, sobbing away to myself pathetically. The general hustle and bustle of people coming in and out of the hospital continuously ignored me as I sat there – not that it bothered me at all, I'd much rather the quiet than the constant interferences of people. After my tears subdued, I stayed there for as long as I could just people watching. A couple in particular caught my eye as they left the building. A bundle of pink and white blankets sat nestled in the woman's-presumably the mother, arms. Whilst she cooed and stroked the little baby, the man with her securely pulled her close to him, smiling and walking full of pride at her side. I longed for that sense of… family. But then who would I count as family? As of this moment, who knew where I stood with Vaughn, seemingly stuck in a moody and quiet state. Whereas with Denny, we were never going to be, not even for the baby's sake, a proper couple. He had, dare I say it, Lana, and before finding out the news, was perfectly happy with her. A small part of me ached painfully knowing I'd messed everything up for both men, I mean, this was my fault, was it not? I could've just gotten rid of it despite my feelings against abortion, or kept it a secret and offered it up for adoption. Hmm, adoption. Maybe I could still do that, even after feeling that bond only a mother can have with her child, that undying love for him. It would be hard letting go and saying goodbye but maybe it would be best for everyone? But then, having grown up without my real parents, it would be hard on Isaac too, right? I don't know. My heads all over the place, filled with confusion, love and pain. I wouldn't want an older version of him hating me because of a silly decision now, it had to be about Isaac and what would be best for him, give him the best opportunities to flourish in life, that's if he doesn't give up on me like I've already given up on him, of course.

Cool hands entwined themselves around mine whilst the owner of said hands knelt down and stared softly at me for a while. I didn't have to look up to know who it was, so I continued people watching. He broke the silent filled air around us with a cracked, whisper. "Chelsea?"

I looked up and stared into the purple orbs of the man knelt in front of me, trying to read them like a book as his face wasn't letting on any emotion.

"Look, you need to come back… please?"

"Why? I'm not missing anything. I just need to clear my head a little that's all." I offered him a weak, insecure smile.

I continued to study his eyes for a while more. I'd seen this emotion before, but couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. As he stood up and left me be, my mind finally ticked… it was sadness drowning in his eyes. But what did he have to be sad about? Surely this situation wasn't affecting him that much was it? I shrugged off everything and went back to watching people.

An elderly lady walked by, her face etched with worry and fear. In front of her sat an elderly man in one of those horrible hospital wheelchairs, doing a good job to try and wheel himself next to her. Despite his struggles to push himself, he still reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight. Her expression of worry then changed to happiness and hope with smiles mirrored on both their faces. A little part of me hoped that I could be happy like they were when I was old too. I tore my staring eyes away from them and onto someone else carrying a baby bundle instead. A pang of guilt and an unnerving feeling settled through me as they walked on by, making me feel like I should go check back into the hospital again. As I shuffled through the doors, Mark grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me towards the elevator.

"Owh, you're hurting me." I protested as his nails dug into my flesh in his sudden urgency.

That elevator ride was the most awkward thing, he refused to look at me the entire time, staring down at the ground worriedly instead.

"Sorry for hurting you." He mumbled. "It's just, you're needed, that's all."

I nodded, a slight smile playing at my lips, if I was needed, that was a good thing right? I could only hope. As soon as I stepped out, his eyes met mine for a brief second, showing emptiness.

"Mark?" I whispered. "It's n…no-ot bad, is i-i-it?" My bottom lip trembled as I stuttered.

"You, uh. Maybe go see for yourself?" He started, pointing in the direction I should be heading in.

"Uh, Julia, Denny and Vaughn are all in the side room with your stuff, I'm going to wait there too, so if you need anything, well, we'll all be in there."

He pulled me into a brief hug before fumbling in his pockets for something. "H-here. Give him this?"

I nodded and took the tiny black and white print stuffed cow teddy from him before turning to watch him walk in the opposite direction from me. With a heavy heart, I trudged down the white stained hallway, dread filling my every bone. Those seconds were honestly the longest seconds of my life, I didn't want to go into that room, couldn't go into that room. What if I saw the worst, something a mother should never have to see? Hesitantly, I edged around the doorway and shakily stood there, frozen stuck with my eyes squeezed tightly closed.

"Ah, Chelsea." The nurse greeted me.

I peered through my closed eyes to risk looking around. Everything seemed… normal?

"We don't know what happened for the moment there, he just seemed to have a funny turn. He should be okay now though, so you can stop worrying."

I nodded a little, confused by the attitude of my so-called brother and sighed in relief. He was okay.

"We'll need to check him over but you're free to take him home if everything appears well this afternoon."

I felt a smile light up my entire face as I walked over to where he lay sleeping. I don't think I could have been any happier.

**A/N: Not the best chapter in the world, but ah well. I'll call it a filler of some sort? Haha, a dramatic one :L I should have the next update up tomorrow or the day after so I'll see you guys then, thanks for reading! :3**


	39. Home

For once, the boat trip didn't frighten me. There was too much other stuff to focus on rather than worry about the stupid boat. As it rippled through the clear sea I found myself sat on deck, rocking the baby bundle in my arms. I hadn't let anyone else hold him yet, I was too scared that something would happen if I let him go, even if just for a split second. I groaned and tried to shift the weight of the sleeping baby onto my other arm to try and shake off the numbness I'd developed. Of course, being the klutz I was, I almost –well did, drop him and if it wasn't for Denny watching me like a hawk he would have fallen on the floor too.

"Thanks." I muttered, avoiding his gaze. "I'm so stupid, ah, is he okay? He didn't wake up?"

"He's fine, stop worrying, okay? Mind if I hold him for a bit?"

I bit my lip before nodding. I guess I couldn't keep him all the time huh? "Just don't drop him, okay? I'm just going to go get a drink."

"Alright, see ya. I'll be fine."

I stood up shakily and made my way to the bar where a familiar silver haired guy was seated, downing some kind of whisky.

"Hey." I smiled, pulling myself up onto the bar stool next to him.

"Oh, hi." He nodded. "How're you feeling now?"

"I'm okay, I'm just so glad everything's been okay. I don't know what I would have done if he'd uhm…" I trailed off.

"That's good." He stated before downing the rest of the drink left in front of him.

"Vaughn…" I began. I was a little uncertain on how he was feeling now that everything had happened and a part of me felt bad for him. "Look, I know that maybe having a baby around will make things awkward but I like you… a lot and I'm not prepared to just let go, okay? Not after everything."

I studied his facial features, looking for something that would show any kind of emotion but, nothing..

"Chelsea." He began before being rudely interrupted by the announcement.

"Boarding Sunshine Islands."

"Oh, I better go get Isaac, I'll see you in a bit okay?" I rushed, hopping off the stool and heading off towards the doorway.

He gave me a quizzical look before nodding and standing up himself.

"Hey baby." I smiled, taking the bundle off of Denny. "You're still sleeping huh? Babies don't do much do they?" I cooed before laughing out loud to myself.

I came off the boat pretty quickly, grateful for Julia and Vaughn carrying the stuff they'd brought for me. I should probably give them the money back at some point… A panicky thought flicked through my head. 'What if no one likes him? Or accepts him because of the stupid fling. Ugh.'

I shouldn't have worried though because as soon as we stepped onto the main island everyone surrounded us, excited to see Isaac. I guess considering he was the first baby born onto the island for a while, everyone looked forward to it? I didn't care, I was just happy.

"He looks like both of you, dear." Mirabelle smiled. "Would it be okay to hold him?"

I bit my lip and sighed a little, what if she dropped him or something. Oh grow up, she had Julia for goddess sake. Conflicted, I gently passed the baby over, watching her like a hawk. I really hoped I'd get over this 'not wanting to let him go' thing as so many people would want to hold him. Everyone ohh'ed ad ahh'ed over him, all itching to get a look as Mirabelle held him.

"Would it be okay to pass him on to Julia, dear? She's pretty keen to hold him." Mirabelle asked.

I frowned and shook my head, reaching out for my baby. "Actually, I want someone else to hold him first, sorry Julia."

I stepped around the blonde and made the person standing in front of me drop the bags he was holding.

"Here. I want you to hold him? Is that okay?" I gave him puppy dog eyes before he nodded and gladly passed him the bundle.

_**Vaughn's P.O.V:**_

She passed me the baby wrapped up in the blankets Julia had chosen and stood there staring. I froze as I peered down at the baby nestled in my arms. He looked just like Denny. My jealousy about Chelsea and Denny's new connection grew massively and I couldn't help but slightly despise this thing. I was a little startled when the thing wriggled and wrapped its fingers around my thumb.

"Awh, I think he likes you." Chelsea cooed, taking in the scene in front of her.

I grunted a little and began to wonder why she'd even given him to me first. Perhaps she wanted me to accept him. I shrugged inwardly and groaned as he opened his eyes and began crying. That was typical. I handed him back and smiled a little upon noticing that he had Chelsea's eyes. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad after all?

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it's short and late, .-. I've been busy again. I won't be able to update until next Sunday as I'm going on holiday tomorrow for the week and so won't have internet connection. I'll try to write a super long chapter to make up for it. Oh and from here on, time might start going a little faster than normal. Thanks for reading and I'll see you at the next update ^.^**


	40. Making routines

My birthday came and went, luckily for me there was no party or anything although I think if Julia would have had something to do with it there would have been. Mark had already stated we shouldn't do anything, he knows just how much I hate birthdays. Everyone was nice though and still brought me gifts as well as loads of baby gifts on top of that. Before I knew it two weeks had flown by, far too fast for my liking. I'd quickly worked up a simple bottle routine for the night so that Isaac wouldn't keep Mark or anyone else up for long. Boy when he cried, he really went for it and often, without a bottle, it would take him ages to shut up. He also liked clinging onto everything that came into reach, despite him being so young. Clothes, scarves, keys, hair, anything that could be grabbed was nearly always grabbed. The day routine was a little harder to develop what with my cows and the need to forage herbs for money. Luckily as it was only winter I didn't have to worry about looking after my crops but because it was winter, it was far too cold to bring him outside for long periods of time whilst I went foraging. I didn't have to worry much though because, being the first baby on the island, everyone was eager to help look after him. it was like pass the parcel which maybe wasn't the best thing but it worked.

* * *

Screeching and wailing filled my ears as I opened up my eyes to the dimly sunlight lit room. Scanning the clock, I could see that it was 5:55, 5 minutes until I would normally get up anyway.

"Really, you couldn't have just waited 5 more minutes, huh?" I complained as i got up and walked across the cold floor towards the fridge where a ready-made bottle sat. As I shoved the bottle into the microwave to heat up I trudged back across the floor and picked up the crying, wriggly bundle from his bed.

"This is the second time you've woken up today, what's going on? You normally wake up once in the night and then wake up at about 8. Why so early?"

His big blue teary eyes stared up at me as the microwave beeped, alerting me that his bottle was ready. After testing the milk and making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold for him, I popped the teat into his waiting mouth.

"Hmm what day is it today?" I wondered aloud. "Oh, it's Tuesday. You get to spend the day with your useless daddy tomorrow, don't you?" I cooed. "Ugh I swear to the goddess, if you come back how you did last time I let him look after you, I won't be impressed. I gave him all the right stuff, nappies, bottles, milk formula, spare baby grows and blankets, everything he could have needed and yet he didn't change you I don't think and you came back looking like you'd been dropped in the mud. The idiot. i would have thought that with Lana and him being together now ,apparently, she would have had the decency to help him out a little but I guess not." I sighed.

"Haha, looks like someone was hungry. I can't believe you've finished your bottle already." I announced.

I placed the bottle in the sink and grabbed the baby changing bag perched on the table.

"Right, now to change you because you're smelly, clean your face a little and put on fresh clothes."

I rushed about completing my new daily routine. "There we go, all better now." I cooed to the sleepy blue eyes looking up at me. I gently rocked him in my arms and hummed a somewhat familiar tune.

"Here, you'll be okay with uncle Mark for 5 minutes." I whispered, shoving the sleeping baby into the half asleep man standing in front of me.

"Huh?" he mumbled, confused.

"Going to go feed and brush Magic and Hope. Don't drop him, okay, bye."

After shoving my red boots and some warmer clothes on, I trudged through the thick blanket of snow. I stood and watched as a swirl of snowflakes flew past me, some blowing into my hair and face, and settled on the snow near me. Winter would have to be one of my favourite seasons if it wasn't so cold. I liked the way the snow made everything glitter and shimmer, highlighting the trees in a soft, snowy white blanket. It made the world look like a different place. A much nicer place.

* * *

I completed my morning routine in no time and so went and dropped Isaac off with Julia for a while like we'd planned, just so I could have some time to forage. I dropped into Taro's on the way past just to find out what the weather would be doing tomorrow. I'd made a habit of that now that the snow was falling heavily. I don't know how he knew, but he was always pretty damn accurate.

"Hey Taro, d'you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?"

"Hey there missy, my bones tell me that tomorrows gonna be a blizzard so make sure to do all your chores today because going out in weather like that's dangerous. You take care now, okay."

"I will do, thank you. Bye." I shouted as I walked out the door.

'A blizzard hey? That could be interesting. Well there's no point in leaving extra food out for the cows because it'll be gone before morning. Looks like I'll be going out there anyway.' I thought to myself. I'd never seen a blizzard before so I was a little excited about the upcoming weather. It would certainly be a new experience. I shrugged off my recent thoughts and made my way towards the beach. I'd have to tell Denny that Isaac wouldn't be spending the day with him tomorrow. I banged a couple of times on the purple door and stood impatiently, tapping my foot against the snowy sand. A rather annoyed Denny answered the door with lipstick marks plastered across his face. His face lightened up a bit upon seeing me though.

"Oh, I've interrupted something have I? Haha, sorry." I laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm, oh its fine, don't worry about it. Anyway, what can I do for you Chels?"

"I just wanted to let you know that it's supposed to blizzard tomorrow so you might not get to spend the day with Isaac."

I frowned when his face drooped. "Oh. Really? Well, that's too bad I guess." He sighed.

"Well, maybe you can have him a different day instead?" I offered, feeling bad. "When he gets a bit bigger he could probably stay the night too, okay?"

He gave me a toothy grin. "That would be nice, oh man, I wish he would hurry up and grow bigger already. I can't wait to teach him how to fish and stuff."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Of course the fisherman would want to teach his son to fish, I'd never even considered that before.

"Well, okay. I'll leave you two to it then. Bye." I smiled and waved as I turned away.

Just before he closed the door i shouted, "Don't go getting her pregnant now too, okay? One baby is more than enough for now, haha, have fun."

I smiled as his laugh echoed across the beach. I collected the coloured herbs lying about and hurriedly placed them into my shipping bin. Hopefully they would make me a nice little profit, I needed all the money I could get my hands on what with a baby and Mark to support now. I'm sure that even if I didn't make enough money right now, I'd sort something out. I don't know how I'm going to cope when Isaac gets bigger though, it's hard enough now whilst he's small.

I brushed my hands off and made my way to the animal shop.

"Hey Jules, hey Mirabelle." I called as I pushed open the door.

"Oh Chelsea? You're early."

"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just I'm finished for the day and so thought I'd come check in now, might as well I guess."

"It's okay."

"Has he been okay? Not too much trouble?"

Julia shook her head. "He's been really quiet for once, slept for most of the time. He had a bottle but that's all. He's so good Chels, you're really lucky."

"I guess I am, ah, I'm glad he's been good." I paused and looked around the room for a second, a frown on my face. "Julia where is he?"

"Oh, he's in my room. Mum found an old baby basket thing in the attic that he can use. She found an old crib that you can have for a while too, if you want it. She brought everything that she'd kept over from our old house in the city, including all my old baby stuff, so if there's anything you need, you're more than welcome to borrow it, too but I think everything's pretty pink and girly." She crinkled her nose up at the thought.

"Oh, okay. that's very kind, thanks." I smiled. "Well, I guess I should take him and leave then, don't want to be a hassle."

"No, you're fine. Why don't you stay for a while? Do you want a hot drink or anything? I can make hot chocolate for us?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yes please, that sounds really nice. It's freezing outside."

"Alright, give me 5." She smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

After several minutes of clanging and banging Julia came back with two steaming mugs of drink.

"Here you go." She said, handing me the yellow mug.

"Thank you." I eagerly took the mug from her and rested it between my palms, warming myself up a little.

As she settled down on the sofa next to me she sighed and reminded me that it's been a while since we've had a proper catch up. Everyone had been so busy with their lives and then the labour and everything happened and I got lost in the system. In fact now that she'd mentioned that, I hadn't spoken to Natalie since well forever, in fact I hadn't really seen her around.

Julia interrupted my trail of thought. "So do you think you'll do anything for the Starry night festival?" She asked.

"Starry night? When is that exactly?"

"Next week Chels."

"Oh right, uhm, I haven't really thought about it and besides I'll have Isaac to care for. Vaughn probably won't even be on the islands anyway so I'll be alone I guess. Do you know what you're doing yet?"

"Uh, well, Elliot and I are meeting with the other couples on the island and we're either going to the mountain or the meadow to have a picnic and watch the stars together. You can come along if you want, there's going to be alcohol and stuff too so yeah, I'm sure mum could look after Isaac if you want? All you have to do is ask, okay?"

I smiled at the gesture. Going out with everyone would be nice but I would feel too much of a burden considering everyone would be coupled up and then there's just me. I'm sure I'd find something else to do instead.

"Maybe I'll come along, I don't know, I'd be too much of a third wheel. Are Natalie and Pierre still together? I haven't spoken to her in so long and I do miss her. Every time I go to Taro's she's never there so I don't know, maybe she's avoiding me or something."

"Oh yeah they're really cute together. I don't really see her much either, she spends nearly all her time with Pierre now. We should have a sleepover or something with us four girls the night before the starry night. That way we'd have all day to get ready together. Hmm, but you have Isaac. Oh, we could all stay at yours?" Julia rambled on.

"We could I guess." I shrugged. I wasn't too sure on the idea, but then again, it did sound like fun and I hadn't had much fun in a while. "If we did, we'd just have to be quiet okay? Because Mark will still be home and I don't really want to wake Isaac up when he's sleeping through the night."

"Okay, I'll sort it. Just make sure you're home okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah okay. Look I've gotta go. It's getting late and there's supposed to be a blizzard tomorrow, I'll see you soon okay and just let me know what exactly is going to happen the night before starry night."

"Okay, I'll just go get Isaac and all the baby stuff. One minute."

She came back out with a blue bundle and handed him to me.

"There you go, still fast asleep bless him."

"Thanks Jules. You know, when I get him christened eventually you can be his goddess mother." I smiled I really should get around to arranging that soon.

"Ohh really?" she squealed pulling me into a quick, tight hug. "That'll be cool. Ahh okay, I'll see you soon okay. seriously don't go out in tomorrow's weather, blizzards are always dangerous. Byee."

I nodded and trudged back home into the warmth again.

* * *

I woke to the sound of the howling wind and moaned. "Ugh what time is it anyway?" I complained as I looked up at the clock. It showed that it was 8. "I overslept? Ugh. I need to go feed my cows now or they'll be grumpy."

It had been a long night last night, Isaac had woken up at least three times, wanting a bottle. I felt tired and groggy. 'I could just go back to sleep I guess.' I considered. I shook my head and got up, shoving my clothes, boots and bandana on.

"Mark." I shouted. "I'm just going out for a bit to feed the cows. I'll be five minutes okay?"

"Uh, okay. You be careful because it's dangerous outside." He shouted from behind his bedroom door.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll see you in a bit."

I ignored the warnings given to me yesterday and yanked open the door, stepping into the wind. It whipped furiously around me as I tried to make my way up to the animal shed on my farm. I struggled and struggled, freezing and covered in snow, as I carefully and slowly made my way up to the barn. It was like a sigh of relief when I got in there. I gently patted my distressed cow and reassured her that everything would be okay before reaching into the fodder bin.

"Shit."

The bin was totally empty.

"Fuck. It wasn't empty when i used it yesterday, was it? I don't remember emptying it… ugh there's no way I can let them go without food, not in this weather. Looks like I'll be going to the animal shop then, brilliant…"

With a heavy sigh, I dragged my feet towards the door and proceeded to walk to the shop. After about an hour of walking and struggling I finally made it. I dusted my feet off on the matt outside, shook myself off and tried to open the door. I pulled the handle a couple of times before knocking, realising that they probably locked the doors to stop them from blowing open. My ears twitched as the key in the door on the other side twisted and popped open the lock.

"Chelsea?!" A screech erupted from the other side of the door. "What the hell are you doing outside in this?"

Julia grabbed me by the arm and yanked me inside before scolding me some more.

"What did I say yesterday? It's dangerous. You could kill yourself in this ad we wouldn't even know about it until later on. You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, I know but my cows are hungry and distressed. There's no way I'm letting a cow and its calf go hungry because of the weather. They panic enough as it is."

"You could've brought food yesterday or just left out extra. You're an idiot."

I sighed and rolled my eyes at the pouting blonde. "Well I didn't notice I'd run out of food yesterday otherwise I would've brought more. So can I buy the food or not?" I asked hesitantly.

"How much do you want? Will you be okay carrying it back or will you need help?"

"I'll be fine thanks and uhm, I don't know, I'll buy 10 lots now and then come back for more another day."

She nodded and worked out the prices before going and collecting the asked amount from the store room.

"Here you go. Before you go out you should probably have a drink. We don't want you to catch a cold, right?"

"Okay." I sighed , not bothering to argue because I knew Julia would get her own way anyway.

After a couple of moments she appeared again with a hot chocolate and instructed me to sit.

"Hey Julia, did the boat still come today then?" I asked curiously through a hot mouthful of drink.

"The boat came yesterday evening instead because of the news of the storm."

"So Vaughn's here then?" I wondered aloud.

"Yeah, I think he's sleeping although I'm not really sure."

That was good to know, at least his boat wasn't lost at sea or something because of the storm.

"Julia dear, who are you talking to?" Mirabelle's voice echoed through the hallway behind us. She appeared seconds after looking flustered and a little confused.

"Chelsea came over to buy some fodder as she ran out. We were just talking for a bit before she went back home." Julia announced, smiling sweetly over at her mum.

"Oh okay. Dear you really shouldn't be going back out in this by yourself, anything could happen. I can't believe Mark let you go at all. Well just make sure you get home safely okay?"

I nodded. "I will Mirabelle, thank you for the drink Julia, I'll see you guys soon, byee."

Just as I was about to leave footsteps creaked across the floor behind me.

"Chelsea what the hell are you doing here?"

I spun round from where I stood and looked at the figure briefly. "Oh, nice to see you too." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes a little. "I'm buying fodder but I was just leaving so I'll see you soon, byee."

I stepped into the coldness and shivered, it was definitely colder than when I left. As I was about to walk off into the blizzarding snowy mess in front of me a hand grabbed onto my shoulder and squeezed, spinning me around. I let out a shocked squeal by the gesture, who would be stupid enough to walk back with me in this?

"I wasn't just going to let you walk off in this by yourself you know. I've almost lost you once, I'm not losing you again if something bad happens in this."

I laughed as Vaughn tugged at the air, trying to pull down his hat to hide the red blush decorating his cheeks.

"You left your hat behind?" I asked.

"It would've just blown away otherwise." He grunted.

I nodded at his answer and grabbed for his hand which was sitting awkwardly by his side.

"Are you ready to walk on?" I asked, desperate to get out of the cold and finish my chores.

"Yeah. We should hurry though because its only going to get worse."

With a smile and a nod we slowly trudged through the snow trying to make it back to my farm.

**A/N: Well, I'm back from my holiday now so here's the next update. I'll admit it isn't the best thing but I was a little rushed as I wrote this in the car and the battery was going to die. Well thank you for reading and I'll see you guys at the next update. **


	41. Blizzards

**A/N: Um, hi guys! Sorry I've been gone for a little while, I've been trying to get everything ready for college ugh, as I've just started and I've also had little motivation to actually write another chapter. Oh, also, because of college, I don't think I'll be able to update as much as I'd like to, so you guys will just have to bear with me. Oh my god, thank you all so much though. This story has hit just over 5,000 views which is awesome alongside 55 reviews. You guuys, you all get free cookies ^.-, but seriously, I'm so thankful to you all! And I love you all too, you are the best! I know this hasn't been the best story but for my first, I think it's been okay, despite those somewhat forced, slightly awkward chapters. Mmm, anyway, onwards with the story… (I'm also sorry if this chapter sucks, I had a tight schedule but I wanted to type something up for you guys.)**

I couldn't help but laugh as he shook the remaining clump of snow from his hair. He reminded me so much of a dog, the way they shake after being in the rain or having a bath.

"You know, I'm not letting you back outside in this, Vaughn. You can stay here for the night." I announced as I began stripping off the cold, snow soaked clothes from my shivering body.

I swirled around as he folded his arms across his chest and gave me a small grunt. "Fine, but I'm not taking the bed."

I shook my head and sighed, I had a feeling he'd say that. "We can sort stuff out when it's actually time to sleep. Oh, I'll be right back. Mark will probably have clothes that you can wear."

I turned my back on the damp cowboy and walked down the small hallway before banging on Marks door.

"Hey Mark, open up."

"Huh? Oh, hey um Chels." A rather confused looking Mark replied, holding the door open for me to come through. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just wondered if you had any spare clothes that Vaughn could borrow."

"What's he doing here? It's blizzarding outside, isn't it?"

I chuckled lightly and muttered 'idiot' under my breath before sighing. "Well, that's a long story, one I actually told you about before I went out but never mind. Do you have clothes or not?"

"Oh… right." He bit his lip and yanked open the chest of drawers stood behind him. "Uh, these okay?" He asked, pulling out a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms and a plain white top.

"Should be fine. Oh, was Isaac okay? No crying or anything?"

"No, I think he's still sleeping though he did wake up once or twice. I had to change his nappy ugh, never again."

I laughed and breathed a small thank you as I walked back into the main room.

"Here, Mark said you can borrow these. You might want to take a shower first though as well, you'll warm up quicker that way."

I watched as he nodded and made his way to the small bathroom before I picked up Isaac, fast asleep in his basket.

"Hey there little guy. You've been good for Uncle Mark, have you?" I cooed lovingly rocking him back and forth gently in my arms.

A tiny yawn escaped his mouth as his tiny blue eyes gazed sleepily up at me.

"Hello sleepy head." I giggled, twining a finger into his balled up fist.

I became so immersed in gazing down at my little boy that I couldn't hear the next couple of pleads for a towel erupting from the bathroom.

"Chelseaa."

"Huh? Did someone call me?" I muttered, glancing around the room confusedly.

"Chelsea, seriously, this isn't funny. I really need a towel."

"Oh, oppss. Just give me a second or two to grab one."

I grabbed a couple of towels folded in a cupboard and opened the door a little, passing him the towels through the gap. I couldn't help but blush as I did so, despite not even seeing him.

"Thanks." He grunted before closing the door again.

When he next re appeared I couldn't help but laugh, he was a little too tall for Mark's clothes and so they sat awkwardly on his body.

"Uh, you look nice." I chuckled, chuckling a little harder as he glared at me.

He settled down on the sofa next to where I sat and pulled me closer to him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and sighed as I leant my head against his shoulder. It felt comfortable like this, like we were supposed to be together because we fitted together, like two puzzle pieces – despite the whole height thing. We sat silently for a while, just watching the snow blizzard from a nearby window. Eventually I broke the silence with a deep, meaningful sigh.

"What's the sigh for?" He asked, slightly puzzled.

"I was just thinking about the starry night festival. Julia and everyone seem to have plans made, and I know you won't be on the island so I guess I'll just be alone for the night, huh."

"The starry night festival. Oh, I'd forgotten about that. I'm really sorry Chels but you know I won't be able to be here, like you already said."

I nodded and gave him a small smile despite the fact that I was maybe a little upset about the whole situation.

'You know it's not his fault so don't just blame it on him.' I sighed to myself. 'You never know, you might end up having a great time anyway. Besides, you'll have Isaac to look after so there's no point in hoping for things that you know won't happen.'

A gloomy silence filled the room for a moment or two before loud cries erupted from the corner where Isaac was supposed to be sleeping.

'Good timing, bless him.'

"Hey baby, what're you doing awake now, hey? I'm guessing you're hungry, right? Let's go get you a bottle." I cooed, picking him up and rocking him a little, soothing him, before checking his nappy. "Nope all good, right, a bottle."

I walked over to the fridge and picked up a readymade one before popping it in the microwave to heat it.

"Hey do you mind holding hi, for a second, I've just gotta go grab a bib for him." I said, placing Isaac in Vaughn's arms before giving him a chance to reply.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched him rock the bundle, from the corner of the room. It made me jump as he spoke.

"You should take a picture, it lasts longer that way." He said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Don't. You made me jump." I complained, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at him.

"You know, you make a great mom, Chels. You should be proud of how he's being brought up."

I smiled as I grabbed the now heated bottle, and made my way back to the sofa.

"Thanks, that really means a lot. Despite everything I went through whilst being pregnant, he still pulled through. Him surviving that means I have to be the very best I can. He's my little miracle." I scrunched my face up a little as I thought back to everything I'd gone through previously. He was definitely a miracle, my little miracle.

"Here, why don't you try feeding him, as you're holding him?" I motioned. "Look, you hold the bottle like this and…" I continued, giving him a small demonstration.

I sat back proudly and watched as he continued where I left off. It was nice to see that he was trying with Isaac at least. That was more than I could ask for, if I was honest.

The rest of the day flew by pretty quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go to bed. The sleeping arrangement was of course difficult as we were both stubborn. In the end, we ended up sharing the bed, despite it being a single at the moment. It was comfy to say the least, like I said before we were like two puzzle pieces, fitting naturally together.


End file.
